'Let Peace Reign' event highlights racial, social reform

Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Joesph spoke on the importance of peace and celebrating the diversity within the community during the Isabella County Human Rights Committee's "Let Peace Reign" event.

"It is very important in our community to recognize and celebrate our differences," Joesph said. "Mount pleasant is a very collective community it is a place where we live on the land of native Americans, reservation of Saginaw Chippewas Indian tribe, our Central Michigan University community is global, our community is strong because of that."

He emphasized how people want to live in communities like Mount Pleasant to live off the vibrancy and culture to make connections

In addition to Joesph, a wide array of community members and activists spoke during the virtual third annual "Let Peace Reign" event Sept. 19. in commemoration of World Peace Day.

The event held the underlying theme "What does peace mean?" throughout the speakers and performers

“Peace also means justice," said Maureen Eke, chair of Isabella County Human Rights Committee. "Peace also means equity the recognition that we all have rights and we all have dignity and as human beings we cannot be separated from our human rights and dignity because without them there cannot be any peace."

Ebony Stewart, international touring poet, performance artist, community activist and author, performed three poems.

“We forget that everyone is essential that they are no nonessential people," Stewart said. "We forget how to love, to patiently love ourselves. I’ve gotten good at being by myself I just don’t want to die alone. We forget that some people have only ever felt alone. We forgot we need each other.”

Representative of the Mount Pleasant Diversity group, Ulana Klymyshyn, presented about becoming more aware of the violence that surrounds everyone and to creating a more peaceful and harmonious world.

Others speakers at the event included Richard Rothaus, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Scott Ellis, executive director at Perceptions, the Great Lakes Bay Region’s LGBTQ nonprofit organization, and Ulana Klmyshyn, representative of the Mount Pleasant Diversity Goup . No Fun Haus performed three songs that represented love and coming together.

All of the speakers touched on how everyone's goal should be to be united and become open minded to many solutions in a world full of many issues. Eke solidified this message at the end of the event with a lighting of candles from a few speakers and a prayer.

“To have lasting peace we have to have justice, security, equity and acknowledge one another,” Eke said.