This year’s PeaceWorks KC Annual Meeting, held March 9 at Simpson House in KC MO, stirred up hope. This story recaps both our farewell to our annual art fair and our bestowal of awards; other stories give other highlights.
Jim Hannah, photographer, related the annual art fair to being caring members of the human family. “In the face of very discouraging news in these fraught times,” he said, “the art fair en-couraged me, lifting my spirits as I witnessed so many good people rally for such a good cause. … I remember the idyllic fall days with tents lined up and a crowd of folks celebrating art and artists; I also remember thunderstorms that collapsed tents but brought out the best in people as we supported each other in meeting the challenge.” Jim’s reflections at https://peaceworkskc.org/celebration-of-peaceworks-kc-art-fair/ note that the art fair is no longer succeeding as a fund-raiser. Jim asked us to keep alive the spirit of art, and renew our commitment to embody our motto: PEACE WORKS.
Corva Murphy, who held the first annual fair in her yard in 1992, said the fair soon expanded to neighbors’ yards. She recalled at the Annual Meeting how she loved having a large PeaceWorks sign flying from her second-floor bedroom windows. The first fair had 22 artists, gathered by Corva, who has an art degree, and others. Henry Stoever introduced Corva at the meeting as “the mother of the fair.” A slide show, athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8o38JSZCI, includes 20 art fair images from 2006-10 and then 48 photos from the last 10 years or so by Jim Hannah. See if you’re in the show!
Speaking of art: The Annual Meeting showcased two peace poles that Therese McKechnie brought as plain poles to our 2024 PeaceWorks KC Local Art Fair last year. One pole for kids to decorate, one for adults. Emblems of art at our roots … anyone got an idea for where to place the poles, together or separately? They’re waiting to be planted. To quote the poles, “May peace prevail!”
Dave Pack, elected during the meeting as the new chair of the PeaceWorks Board of Directors, said the Charles E. Bebb Peace Merit Award for this year is going to Mary Hladky, who was unable to be at the meeting. Bebb was one of three founders of PeaceWorks in 1982.
“My first encounter with Mary was on the local American Friends Service Committee’s program committee, I think in 2011,” said Dave. “She had moved from Ohio and was already deeply involved in peace issues, as few people are.”
Dave connected Mary’s activism to having a son who was an Army infantry officer in a unit under active combat almost every day for 13 months, at the height of President Obama’s Afghanistan surge. Mary served on the national coordinating committee for Military Families Speak Out.
Mary joined the PeaceWorks Board in March 2016 and has been “a very dedicated member, at times the vice chair,” said Dave. He also noted her leadership on the coordinating committee for the national group United for Peace and Justice.
Dave closed his words of gratitude to Mary by sharing her “signature line” for her emails, with quotations such as Mother Teresa’s statement, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other,” and the words of Malala, a Pakistani activist, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”
Two groups received the Kris and Lynn Cheatum Community Peace Awards. Lynn, a cofounder of PeaceWorks, and Kris led our group for several decades. Corliss Jacobs received the award on behalf of the Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity. The network provides educational sessions on imperialist policies of the US and their effect on countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Corliss read from a statement (https://peaceworkskc.org/cross-border-network-gets-cheatum-award/) prepared by one of Cross Border Network’s founders, Judy Ancel.
Margot Patterson received the Cheatum Award on behalf of Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, which advocates with legislators and organizes educational events concerning Israel and Palestine. Margot is co-producer and co-host of Understanding Israel Palestine, a 9:30 am program every Friday on KKFI, 90.1 FM, that seeks to give listeners a closer, more honest depiction of the struggle between Israel and Palestine than the mainstream media do. Margot expressed appreciation for the award. CJME began about 20 years ago, during the lead-up to the Iraq War. Margot said Jim and Ginger Kenney, who had been to the Holy Land several times and were troubled by what they saw, helped form CJME. Since the ceasefire in Gaza, said Margot, Israel has launched an offensive that has displaced about 40,000 people in the West Bank. She stressed the urgency of changing what’s going on!
