Peace Efforts in the United States
Japan is not the only country that is working for a nuclear-weapon-free world. The United States contributes to these peace programs also. One of these many efforts took place in Seattle, Washington.
In 1988, a man named Dr. Floyd Schmoe won a $5000.00 grant. With this money, at the age of ninety-three he fulfilled a dream of making something out of nothing. He cleared a small unused forgotten lot and built what is today the beautiful Peace Park in Seattle Washington. After the completion of the park, it was dedicated on August 6, 1990 on the 45th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. In this park is a life size statue of Sadako Sasaki. She holds a crane on her fingertips. Every day, visitors drape cranes over Sadako’s monument. Some days you can see thousands of cranes draped over this monument!
In the Seattle Kingdome, Skilling Ward Magnesson Barkshire made a giant crane. This crane stood about 120 feet tall and is 1750 pounds of drawings and peace writings from over 10,000 children. From wingtip to wingtip it is about 215 feet long. Once this giant crane was completed, 5000 people joined together to dedicate this symbol of peace to Aki Kurose, a peace educator and bomb survivor and John Stanford, children’s advocate and educator. This large symbol of peace was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for its size. Click here for more information.
Photograph by KOZO
Copyright 1999 World Peace Project for Children
All Rights Reserved - This photograph may not be copied or reproduced
without written permission.
Another peace effort began in 1994 at Verde Valley School in Arizona. A group of high school students from this school decided that the world should have one day when the entire world focuses on nonviolence and the sharing of gifts of food. They wanted to the first day of this holiday to be at the beginning of the new millennium. On Dec. 15, 2000 unanimously adopted the "OneDay" Initiative. On Jan. 4, 2001, President Bill Clinton signed the resolution and January 1st of every year is now a national holiday. Click here for more information.
Although the United States bombed Japan, we have done many things to foster peace. We have created a national holiday for peace, and even built a very large crane as a symbol of our dedication to worldwide peace efforts. Without America’s help, Japan would not be doing very well in fostering peace.
I Have a Dream...Building Diversity, Building Peace is a project that fourth and fifth graders are doing in Canada. Check it out.
To read about the survivors on our site, click the cranes. 