Peace Ceremony event set for Oct. 28
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Sonoma State University will host a special gathering later this month to commemorate the installation of two profound symbols of peace on the SSU campus grounds: a Rotary Peace Pole and the Hiroshima Peace Trees.
The Sonoma State University Peace Ceremony will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, on the university’s Main Quad, a grassy expanse in the center of campus between Salazar and Stevenson halls and the Wine Spectator Learning Center. The public is invited to attend.
“It is a great honor for our campus to be the recipient of such powerful symbols of peace and unity,” said Dr. Stacey Bosick, Sonoma State Interim Provost. “We are deeply grateful to the community organizations who have partnered with us to bring both the Hiroshima Peace Trees and the Peace Pole to our campus, and look forward to commemorating these impactful initiatives at the event on October 28.”
The Hiroshima Peace Trees represent a commitment “to creating a memorial for all nuclear victims by nurturing the trees into symbols of resilience and peace,” according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Sonoma State and the Peace Crane Project Sonoma County.
The Peace Crane Project – an all-volunteer group committed to creating a world free of nuclear weapons – obtained seeds descended from a gingko (Gingko biloba) tree that survived the Hiroshima bombing in 1945 (referred to as the Hiroshima Peace Tree) that were then tended to at the Sonoma Botanical Garden. The seedlings are now about six years old. They will be planted and tended with assistance by the SSU landscaping staff. After installation, SSU Facilities Management will care for the donated trees as part of standard campus practices.
The trees will “memorialize victims of nuclear testing, including indigenous peoples displaced or harmed globally by accidental or intentional discharge and waste disposal,” the MOU reads.
The design for the location of the trees was created by a Sonoma State student, Cheyenne Bryant, who is currently studying Urban Planning and works with the campus landscaping team. Once complete, the site will feature additional landscaping details to complement the trees, including Sonoma Fieldstones from the Paradise Ridge Winery.
The project is endorsed by Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League, Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, and Peaceful World Foundation.
The Peace Pole will feature the message ”May Peace Prevail on Earth”, written on the 8-foot pole in eight languages: English, Spanish, Pomo, Chinese, Tagalog, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Russian.
According to the MOU between SSU’s Rotaract Club and the university, the Peace Pole will “provide an opportunity for educating students, faculty, and the general public regarding peace on Earth… bringing people together to inspire, awaken, and uplift the human consciousness about the world around us.”
The project is endorsed by Rotary/Rotaract Club, Veterans for Peace, SSU’s HUB Cultural Center, and SSU’s Office of Institutional Equity and Belonging.
IF YOU GO
Sonoma State University Peace Ceremony
Tuesday, October 28
Noon-1:30 p.m.
Main Quad