Peace events kick off in Monticello

MONTICELLO, NY — September 11 is not only the date that terrorists flew airplanes into buildings in the United States, it is also the date that Mahatma Gandhi began his nonviolent campaign to get the British to end their occupation of India, although Gandhi’s effort began 90 years before the terrorists acted.

With that as inspiration, Tim Shera, a member of the antiwar group Sullivan Peace and Justice, organized a series of events for the month of September that celebrates the ideals of peace and nonviolence. The events include movie screenings, meditations, a concert and a picnic.

At the Sullivan County Government Center on Friday, September 1, Shera and a group of about 20 area residents participated in an opening ceremony for the program. Speakers talked about what peace and nonviolence meant in their personal lives and read prayers for peace from some of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Muslim, Hindi and Buddhism.

Earlier in the week, the Sullivan County Legislature passed a resolution proclaiming September as a month for honoring “peace and nonviolence” throughout the county.

Go to groups.yahoo.com/group/sullivancountypeace for more information about the peace events.