Women pledge peace at world conference

BY SALLY VONNER
NTC Associate Director

The Third International Women's Peace Conference, held in Dallas, July 10-15, is one of the largest international women’s conferences organized after the Fourth United Nations Women's Conference held in Beijing in l995. Women gathered from 43 countries and 32 States under the theme, "Essentials of Peace."

The International Women's Peace Conference is sponsored by Peacemakers, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to sponsoring international women’s conferences on peace. One of their perspectives is that peace is the prerequisite for solving the world’s problems, not a consequence.

Peacemakers is the brainchild of former Dallas Times Herald journalist Vivian Anderson Castleberry. Castleberry served as the Honorary Co-Chairwoman along with the Honorable Leticia Shahani of the Philippines.

The first International Women's Peace Conference was held in 1988 in Dallas on the campus of SMU and the second in 1999, also in Dallas.

The third conference had over 1,000 delegates that listened to speeches from three Nobel Peace Prize Laureates; Betty Williams of Northern Ireland, Rigoberta Menchu Tum of Guatemala and Jody Williams of the US.

Workshops were offered on numerous topics such as art/culture, exploitation, mind/body/spirit, peace/security, power, violence, diplomacy, migration, and human rights.

NTC was represented in many ways. The UM Women were a sponsor and offered volunteer support. Workshop presenters included: Rev. April Bristow and Rev. Diana Holbert (tolerance), Rev. Bill Matthews and Mrs. Norma Matthews (religion/spirituality), Rev. Sheron Patterson (mind/body/spirit) and Rev. Patricia Piron Thresher (religion/spirituality).

Many other NTC clergy and laity served as volunteers in various capacities as well as delegates to the conference.

The most powerful aspect of the gathering was the sense of sisterhood. Sisters from around the world gathered at the Adam’s Mark Hotel with the sole purpose of working for peace in the world. The women were serious about learning but also knew how to play and celebrate. The energy throughout the entire event was contagious, and have no doubt that the world is going to be a better place because the 1,000 delegates made a commitment to return to their homelands, ready to implement their learning from the conference and work for peace.

Some sisters from Africa stood and said "we are going to take over Africa," meaning for peace. The gathering applauded and many stood to affirm the boldness of these women's commitment to peacemaking.

At the closing ceremony, everyone, including the men in attendance, were asked to write down one thing they would commit to do for peacemaking in their community, and self-address the card. The program committee promised to mail these cards in six months as a reminder of the commitment made.

Dr. Jean Bolen, the keynote for the closing presentation, suggested it takes a "tipping point" or 319 (1+billion) women for peace, for peace to become the norm.

Keep your eyes open, because God is about to do a new thing with the commitment and boldness of persons from the Third International Women's Peace Conference.

For more information, please visit: www.womenspeaceconference.org.