ISCO, International Arts Center plan International Day of Peace observance for Sept. 21

Troy University International Student Cultural Organization (ISCO) and the International Arts Center will team up to celebrate International Day of Peace on Sept. 21. The event is free and open to the public.

Students will gather at Hawkins-Adams Long Hall of Honor at 6:30 p.m. and march, bearing international flags, to the Peace Dove statue, created by the artist Nall, at the rear of the International Arts Center beginning at 7 p.m. After their arrival at the statue, a program of special music and speakers will take place, along with a display of International Day of Peace posters created by students in the University’s Department of Art and Design.

“TROY’s International Student Cultural Organization (ISCO) and the International Art Center (IAC) have firmly established a tradition of bringing our international and domestic students together each year to celebrate the United Nation-sponsored International Day of Peace,” said Joe McCall, ISCO faculty advisor and History Lecturer. “It is a celebration which allows TROY’s unique position as Alabama’s ‘international university’ to serve as a model for bringing young people together to build a more peaceful and safer world. Each year, we mark the day with a flag parade to the Peace Dove in the plaza behind the IAC for inspiring speeches, music and art. We hope all will join us to keep this tradition alive.”

Students gather around the Peace Dove statue, created by the artist Nall, in Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park, during the 2021 Day of Peace event.

Carrie Jaxon, Director and Curator of the IAC, said the event serves to bring students from different cultures and backgrounds together to recognize and celebrate similarities rather than differences.

“Celebrating the International Day of Peace with ISCO is a joy and a tradition that I hope we carry on through the years,” Jaxon said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring together all of our students representing different countries around the world and to celebrate peace and harmony that we find among each other. We are honored to host this event at the IAC beside Nall’s Peace Dove in the Daniel Foundation of Alabama Plaza that overlooks the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park.”

Established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Peace was created to strengthen the ideals of peace through observing 24 hours on non-violence and cease-fire throughout the world. The theme for the 2022 observance is “End Racism. Build Peace.”