Darlene Scott is a former social worker who moved to Wilmington when she retired. She has been active on the Peace Week Delaware Steering Committee for several years, serving as the chair since 2021. You can find more information at www.peaceweekdelaware.org/.
Oct. 8 marks the beginning of Peace Week Delaware, a week set aside annually for all Delawareans to focus on creating peace. It is a statewide series of events that aims to educate, connect, inspire and spur actions that promote harmony, equity and justice in our state.
In 2022, more than 50 events — in-person, virtual or a hybrid of both — are being offered between Oct. 8-16. They are free, nonpartisan and open to the public. All events are listed on our website, where you can browse a daily event calendar, read descriptions and register for events you wish to attend: peaceweekdelaware.org/attend-events.
Reducing or eliminating violence and creating a culture of peace in Delaware has been the vision of Peace Week Delaware since its founding in 2016. The founders recognized that violence and other barriers to peace are connected to injustices in which individuals have unequal access to resources, political power, education, health care and legal standing. Delaware has hundreds of organizations, groups and individuals that are working to address these injustices and promote peace. Peace Week Delaware’s mission is to provide a platform for them to connect, collaborate and inspire others to action, thus creating a larger vision of peace and justice.
This vision is being realized in 2022 through events such as “No Environmental Justice, No Peace,” a virtual event hosted by New Ark United Church of Christ and coordinated by Delaware Interfaith Power & Light, bringing together for discussion the NAACP, Ezion-Mount Carmel United Methodist Church of Wilmington, the American Civil Liberties Union and a Delaware state representative.
In Sussex County, “Gun Violence Forum — What Can We Do?” brings together individuals from the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware and Epworth United Methodist Church, along with staff from the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence.
Another collaboration will take place in Kent County, where Delaware State University hosts an in-person interfaith panel discussion. The Central Delaware Interfaith Alliance and university students will discuss what peace means in their traditions.
Event organizers recognize the power of collaboration through Peace Week Delaware. An organizer from New Castle County wrote of the impact that it has had on her church community: “Peace Week Delaware helped us to activate our commitment to peace. We’ve been able to create events that have helped us to reach out and to raise awareness about some critical peace-related issues.“
The impact of Peace Week Delaware includes every person who attends an event, participates in a workshop or finds personal peace in a spiritual practice. After attending a Peace Week Delaware nature walk guided by an experienced naturalist, one participant wrote: “There’s something about the beauty of nature that calms the mind and body — both, from my perspective — important components in the effort to create a more peaceful world.”
All-volunteer Steering Committees work with organizers to collaborate, create and promote events for Peace Week Delaware. They are active throughout the year supporting peace education, making connections and inspiring action. Periodically, Peace Week Delaware publishes an electronic newsletter called the Peace Paper that explores issues, celebrates peacemakers and provides a valuable resource for continued peace action. Read a recent Peace Paper, which explores trauma-informed care in Delaware communities and schools. Peace Week Delaware is funded by donations from individuals, faith communities and small businesses.
We hope you will take time during Peace Week Delaware to commit to creating peace in your community and state. Attend an event. Make some new connections. Become a volunteer. Peace is not just the absence of violence. It’s how we live together as neighbors, support those in need and work to eliminate injustice.
