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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| August 8, 2003 |
New York City, United States – Visit to Ground Zero |
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| Hague Appeal for Peace President, Cora Weiss, addressing Peace Boat participants in Battery Park |
Before visiting the site of the former World Trade Center, Peace Boat participants gathered in Battery Park for a peace ceremony to meet and hear from people directly affected by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This ceremony was hosted by the advocacy group "September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows," family members of September 11 victims who have united to turn their grief into action for peace. First to address the crowd of several hundred was peace activist, Cora Weiss, President of the Hague Appeal for Peace. "We are ordinary citizens with a universal capacity to make peace," began Cora, thanking Peace Boat and the other participants of the event for their attendance and commitment to working towards a less violent world. |
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| The "Peace Quilt" made from many different panels to represent a united voice against war |
Addressing the crowd with a picture of her husband Sean - killed in the World Trade Center on September 11 - held in her hand, Peaceful Tomorrows' member Beverly Eckert spoke of government abuse of the grief of victim's families, and urged the crowd to "rise above the anger, and understand the root causes of the conflict." After Beverly's emotional testimony, Peace Boat members unveiled a multicoloured quilt stitched together from different panels to show how "many people from many cultures can come together as one in the name of peace." |
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| The World Trade Center Children's Mural Project and the section donated to Peace Boat |
The World Trade Center Children's Mural Project is a collection of over 3,000 portraits drawn by children throughout the world in response to the attacks of September 11. By joining in the project, young people "lessened their feelings of isolation and helplessness." Children exposed to war and terrorism in places including Kosovo, Uganda and Oklahoma drew pictures to encourage the recovery of New York. The pictures were arranged in the shape of the Manhattan skyline, and for the fist time in the project's short history, a section of the mural was presented to Peace Boat to be displayed and carried around the globe as a message of peace. |
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| Paper cranes tied to the fence surrounding Ground Zero |
Survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Fumiko Amano, was one of the many Peace Boat participants who tied their handmade paper cranes to the metal fence surrounding Ground Zero. The symbols of peace were left in front of the site, representing the wish of Peace Boat participants for a non-violent world. A memorial to the tragedy is currently in the early stages of development, and the colourful paper cranes drew the attention of many passers by with their direct contrast against the grey of the metal fence bordering the construction work. |
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