From March through September 2013, the 3000 Miles for Peace campaign got people moving in honor of Paul Ziegler, a young peacebuiler who died tragically on his bicycle in a highway accident in September, 2012.  Paul had planned to ride his bike 3000 miles across the continent in the summer of 2015 as a witness for peace, gathering fellow riders along the way and raising funds for building peace. 

On Earth Peace worked with Paul's family to plan the 3000 Miles for Peace campaign in Paul's honor.   Inspired by his life and his planned epic ride, over 1,500 people took part in more than 50 local events which included biking, walking, canoeing, hiking, running, as well as dribbling soccer balls, rocking chairs and lifting weights.  It was clear that whatever activity they chose, people saw their participation in the campaign as an expression of their belief in the importance of peace in our world.  

(Pictured from left to right) Miki Kawamura, Daniel Jung, and Ekeria Iboaya reading to children at the Hancock County Children's Mentoring Connection. (Photo credits: Dr. Hiroaki Kawamura)

In Fall 2023, On Earth Peace awarded the Borderless Relation Committee (BRC) a Community Engagement Grant to support the youth-initiated project for peace and justice in Findlay, Ohio. Founded in 2022 by Christina Horn and current OEP interns, Emi Kawamura and Maree Iboaya, BRC’s mission is “to spread the word of diversity throughout our local community in hopes that the upcoming generation can celebrate diversity and people’s differences, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds with proper response,” according to current committee-member, Daniel Jung. Under the leadership of Ekeria Iboaya, Miki Kawamura, and Jung, BRC continues to thrive.

Today, BRC continues to pursue their mission. “My sister’s life changed with BRC,” said Kawamura. “And there were so many mysteries left unsolved.” Inspired by the efforts of the previous cohort and eager to make an impact on their community, the current BRC cohort added their own spin to the project. In previous years, BRC focused on racial inequalities and economic disparities. This year, BRC is educating elementary students about various cultures; they recently focused on Nigeria and Ireland, reading books, eating snacks, and playing games to help students learn about and appreciate these cultures. “They make these connections and think, how can I apply this to my life?” Iboaya reflected.

In July 2023, On Earth Peace launched Affinity Groups. This is a new initiative that OEP has designed to ensure a pathway for people interested in organizing to develop a project in a structured and supportive environment. It is said that those who wish to go fast may do so alone, but those who plan to go far do so together. The Affinity Group program embodies this by creating communities of nonviolent practice and discipline, which are in turn held by the larger community of other groups. OEP provides many options for Kingian Nonviolence training. 

By creating an Affinity Group in their area, people can galvanize like-minded individuals with shared goals towards stronger and more inclusive communities, justice, and positive peace. They grow internally by taking risks to try new things, creating shared experiences, and developing a common language to vocalize it together. By joining the Affinity Group program as a whole, there is also an external development that occurs. The individual groups get a chance to learn from other affinity groups in other states across the country. Though some may be at different stages of their 90-day plans, they have a common experience and shared language that they can use to encourage one another. If an affinity group in Ohio finds a tactic that may work to encourage passive allies to become more active, they could share their knowledge with an Affinity Group in New York which may be facing similar challenges on a different scale and stage. Furthermore, the various Affinity Groups can learn from one another’s insights during monthly leadership development sessions held by OEP. The different experiences and perspectives that each Affinity Group brings can benefit all. 

Newsletter

Along with the quarterly meetings, the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team (COB-GV-AT) has launched a monthly newsletter. Each issue addresses different topics with the past months having focused on National Gun Violence Survivors Week 2024 (January 22-26), Youth Violence Prevention Week (April 22-26, 2024), and International Bereaved Mother’s Day (May 5). If you would like to join our email list to receive our monthly newsletters (as well as previous editions), please reach out to Mandy Park at [email protected].

Additionally, the COB-GV-AT is putting together a toolkit with resources for congregations, a work in progress but one they are actively adding to as time goes on. This toolkit includes worship and educational resources, worksheets/exercises, slides from organizing meetings, all previous newsletters, and further information on the toolkit.  If you are interested in accessing these resources and reading more on them, please find the folder here.

Nubwa Chama Josiah is the Racial Justice Intern at On Earth Peace. She was born in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, Nigeria where she grew up as an EYN church member. Nubwa worked with non-governmental organizations prior to furthering her studies in the United States. Part of her experiences include working with internally displaced people and promoting peace, social justice, and women's inclusion among other things. She is passionate about helping people and advocating for the rights of the oppressed in the global community. Currently, Nubwa is a first-year graduate student at Ohio University, pursuing a Master’s degree in International Development. She loves meeting new people, making an impact, listening to music, and singing.