Southfield holds International Day of Peace

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield city officials, the May Peace Prevail on Earth International Foundation, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force gathered Sept. 20 at the Peace Poles on the Municipal Campus, 26000 Evergreen Road, to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.

The event included a presentation of colors by the Southfield Police Color Guard, followed by opening remarks from Southfield Mayor Ken Siver and Patricia Talley, the international director for The Amigas de la Paz Program for May Peace Prevail on Earth International. As well as presentations by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force President Faira Glenn, a rendition of “Let there be Peace on Earth” by MLK Task Force International Relations Committee Co-Chair Barbara Seldon, a reading of the “Peace Poem” by 9-year-old, Carrington Riser, and remarks from Southfield City Council President Ari Mandelbaum and Councilman Lloyd Crews, who worked with Patricia Talley to place the Peace Poles in Southfield.

“The city of Southfield has been a long champion of many of the same goals and objectives, not only in our community but throughout the world as well. We here in Southfield believe strongly in these universal rights that Ms. Talley mentioned earlier, but I’ll give some examples. Zero Hunger. The city is currently working on a pilot program to have zero food waste, so a lot of food from restaurants, schools, homes, go into garbage. We’re trying to find ways where there will be zero waste of food,”

During the ceremony, Mandelbaum shared the ways that Southfield practices United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“Clean water and sanitation. For the last 10 years, the city has been upgrading our water lines throughout every neighborhood in the city where anyone who has a lead water line into their home, which is not many, the city is changing those over to get rid of those lead water lines. Decent work and economic growth. The city has an Oakland County Michigan Works office here in Southfield that is the best performing Michigan Works office in the state, and we also have been named, two years in a row, the best community for African American women to prosper in business.”

The Peace Poles were installed in Southfield in 2020 as part of the nonprofit organization May Peace Prevail on Earth International Foundation’s mission to place peace monuments around the world. Currently, there are over 200,000 Peace Poles throughout the world. The Peace Poles say, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in 24 languages.

The foundation launched the Amig@s de la Paz Sustainability Award Program in 2020 to recognize the communities that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Patricia Talley — affectionately known as the “daughter of Southfield” as her mother, Barbara Talley, is the “Mother of Southfield” — said Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico, was the first city in the world to receive the award, followed by Southfield.

“Southfield was the first city in the United States to receive it. Of course, it had to be Southfield,” Patricia Talley remarked. She added that Chicago and San Diego received the award after Southfield. In order to qualify as an Amig@s de la Paz city, they must:

Designate a representative for May Peace Prevail on Earth, erect and maintain a Peace Pole or monument in a prominent location, celebrate the annual International Day of Peace Sept. 21, and participate in peace education programs.

Since 2020, Southfield has participated in the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. The Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force was founded by Barbara Talley in 1985. She was the first African American elected to the Southfield City Council and served from 1983 until 1989. The circle drive in front of City Hall is named “Barbara Talley Way” in her honor.

“How I got that name was that there were two people that called me the ‘Mother of Southfield.’ And I didn’t know I was the mother of Southfield. So I have to live up to it. I am 93 years old now, and so I still know that I have to be an example to everybody,” Barbara Talley said.

On Jan. 20, 1985, the first Peace Walk was held in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Southfield was the first city in the state of Michigan to hold a march remembering and honoring King’s values and messages of peace. In January, the group will celebrate 40 years of Peace Walks in Southfield.

“I began to think about what we could do in Southfield to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy,” after receiving a communication from a state official, Barbara Talley reflected. “I called several persons for ideas. There was one lady that was with the Southfield High School, assistant principal, Olivia Dyson, and she said, ‘I see a peace walk.’ That’s how it all started. Then what I did was I called a group of community leaders, and we formed plans for a peace walk, and that became the first and still is, the largest peace walk in the state of Michigan. That’s how it all started.” She said that there were about 1,000 people who attended the first Peace Walk, which took place from North Congregational Church, which is now Hope United Methodist Church, to the Southfield Pavilion.

Barbara Talley was unable to attend the Day of Peace, but she shared some wisdom on how people can promote peace.

“To be kind, no matter their race or gender or religion, help others grow and improve,” she said.  “To look at both local and international news and read books about peace and social justice. And I think, ask yourself: ‘How can I do more to promote peace?’ Chat with your neighbors and practice peace yourself.”

For more information on the May Peace Prevail on Earth International Foundation and the Peace Pole initiative, visit peacepoleproject.org.

For more information on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force, visit mlktaskforcemi.org.