San Joaquin Delta College Exhibit 2012

It was a sunny and calm 7:45 am when I arrived at Delta College, last Thursday Sept., 27 and contacted the Campus Police.  They were very helpful, meeting me, showing me where to park, making arrangements for me not to get a parking ticket, and helping handle the cart of easels from the parking lot to the Joe Serna Amphitheater by the Quad in the middle of Campus.  What a pretty campus!  If you are ever there it is worth the walk to see the koi pond.  Three students volunteered to help set up and we had it made in the shade.  They had a "Your Vote" event, that included free tacos, so we probably got better traffic than you would get on a regular day.

The discussions we generated around The Better World Shopping Guide, Project Censored, Nonviolent Communication, and Ruses for War encourage taking responsibility, more active participation in the peace movement, critical thinking, ethical consumerism, and responsible sustainable citizenship.

  I have noticed the energy in the gratitude expressed to me, by so many who see the Peace Panel Project, that I feel more energetic, grateful, and inspired.  What a way to be.  I feel inspired to do what I can to build the movement towards peace and justice.  I think the students who see the exhibit benefit to have these ideas introduced to them.  The ones who read every word may become more active in the peace movement.  The ones who just glance at the headlines as they walk by are now more aware that these ideas exist and perhaps the next time they think about them they will lend them more interest.  In a day when so many of us spend so much time indoors behind a monitor, the Peace Panel Project is a refreshing, outdoor, and original way to communicate ideas and information that are not available on the evening network news.

I folded up the exhibit at 3 pm and joined Stockton's Peace Vigil on Pacific Ave., at Yokuts from 5 - 6 pm.  It was fun to meet Patrick and his peace activist friends (and the Peace Poodle) and share an hour demonstrating for peace.

Sacramento City College exhibit 2012

Our second annual visit to Sacramento City College was well attended by students and faculty alike.  We set up at 8 am on the south side of the walkway next to the North Gym so all students and faculty who entered by the Main entrance walked by to enter the campus and get to the cafe or the Quad. And thanks to Winnie of the Sacramento Area Peace Action Group I had some help setting up and folding up at 3pm.  The help was critical because my helper was sick and doing it by myself would have cut severely into our exhibition time.  We have compiled 13 e mail contacts of activists in the area we appealed to, but Winnie was the one who saved the day, with help when it was needed most.  Thank you Winnie!  SCC did not allow sales of any kind so we had to ask people who wanted to buy books to contact us later and we would mail them the book they wanted at 10% off the marked price.  (Our typical price.)  We had a good number of great conversations on topics of peace, censorship, ethical shopping and the ending of the death penalty ballot issue  this November.  It is always rewarding to see young students hooked by the exhibit intently reading every word of many panels.  I got that treat many times at this exhibit.  Many times students or faculty would come up and shake my hand and thank me for putting up the show.

After folding it up at 3pm I headed to the Sacramento Area Peace Action's peace vigil at 16th & J Streets in downtown Sacramento.  There I joined the usual crew of about four activists holding up our signs for the rush hour traffic to see.  The consensus was that the response from the drivers has improved over time with more honks, thumbs up and smiling faces than in times past.  I really felt like we were building the movement towards peace and justice.

Chapmantown event 2012

The Peace Panel Project was on display again at the 2nd annual Love Chapmantown event or as it was called last year "America's Night Out".  Our exhibit was complimented by CSU professor Vincent Ornelas, MSW, Ph.D.  He suggested an exhibit at CSU Chico would be in order.  The director of the event Rev. Vince Haynie gave the microphone to Charles to describe the Peace Panel Project and invite folks to check it out.  The Panels created an arched background to the event on the left side of the stage area.  It was well visited and enjoyed by a good number of the participants to the festivities.  It was time well spent contributing  to the community function that had many booths of different community groups.  

U. N. Peace Day Event at Butte College

The Peace Panel Project took part in the UN Peace Day Event at Butte College in Oroville California Sept., 19, 2012.  It was our largest exhibit yet, including thirteen easels, 36 - 2' x4' panels, and 9 - 9" x 18" mini panels on and around the cart that was elevated on 18" legs.  We had 2 tables and thanks to Chuck Greenwood, Courtnie Burns, Charles Withuhn, we were well staffed to answer questions and talk with students about the issues of Nonviolent Communication, Ruses for War, Better World Shopping, Project Censored and Counter Recruitment.  We were well received and got to meet many students.  It was a good day.  We handed out a lot brochures, flyers, peace buttons, cookies and cupcakes; sold a few books and had some great discussions. Thomas Billheimer III, a reporter for the Roadrunner, the school newspaper came by and interviewed us for an article.