US
Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Please take a few
minutes to read this succinct rationale for the US Peace Memorial. This is an electronic preprint version
of an article published in the print edition of the journal Peace and
Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, Volume 15 Issue 1, January 2009 (©
2009 Taylor & Francis). The
definitive version of the article is available online at: (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10781910802545008).
A
Cultural Shift toward Peace:
The Need for a National
Symbol
Michael D. Knox, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor
University of South Florida
and
Annie M. Wagganer, M.A.
Research Specialist
University of South Florida
Michael D. Knox
earned his Ph.D. in psychology in 1974 from The University of Michigan.
He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mental Health
Law and Policy, Department of Internal Medicine, and
the Department of Global Health at the University of South Florida. Dr.
Knox is Chair of the US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public
charity.
Annie M. Wagganer received her M.A. in sociology in 2006 from the
University of South Florida (USF).
She is currently a Research Specialist at the USF Center for HIV
Education and Research and an Instructor of Sociology at St. Louis Community
College.
Abstract
Countless
brave Americans have publicly opposed United States wars and advocated for
peace, yet history does not often document their contributions. National monuments honor those who have
engaged in combat or died in war, but there are no national memorials to
indicate that US society values peace and citizens who take action to oppose
war. In fact, these individuals are
often held in contempt. Since
culturally shared symbols reinforce commonly held social sentiment, the
developing US Peace Memorial will significantly contribute to a cultural shift by educating and inspiring
new generations of Americans to embrace and advocate for peaceful alternatives
to war.
------------
From
an early age, personal beliefs and understanding of socially acceptable
attitudes and behaviors are formed in significant measure by prominent symbolic
objects (Gardner, 1999). These
objects both facilitate and constrain patterns of individual perceptions (Swidler, 1986) of what is right or wrong, patriotic or
treasonous, valiant or weak. In other words, cultural representations of war
and peace influence a citizenŐs private attitudes and public behavior. What is known about these topics, as
well as what is unknown, is shaped by larger cultural ideas and artifacts. These include popular symbols, perhaps
none so revered as the US flag and none as visible as US national war
memorials. Without a balance in
symbolic reminders, certain parts of history and particular values are
embraced, encouraged, and passed down from one generation to another, while
others are ignored, denied, and even disparaged.
An Ethos of War
President John F. Kennedy (n.d.) wrote that ŇWar will exist
until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same
reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.Ó Monuments to soldiers, wars, and wartime
presidents pervade the capital city and many town squares and parks throughout
the United States. A typical tour
of the Mall in Washington DC, taken by thousands of students and vacationing
families every year, usually includes stops at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the National World War II Memorial. These monuments provide a focal point
for patriotic discussion. Each
facilitates the remembrance and validation of war efforts. Veterans can often be found in this
public space discussing military experiences with their children,
grandchildren, other relatives, friends, and even passersby. Together these public memorials and
personal moments help to sustain the strongly held US belief that it is honorable
to fight and die for oneŐs country.
Conversely,
no permanent monuments in Washington DC indicate that the country values peace
and its citizens who take action to oppose war. No memorials document antiwar behavior
and thoughts. No public space is dedicated to facilitating a national discussion
of American peace advocates. A
legitimate and longstanding part of US culture is missing from the nationŐs
capital.
Soon
there will be a Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington DC; yet, this
will focus primarily on KingŐs civil rights leadership and not his opposition
to the Vietnam War. Plans call for
the headquarters of the US Institute of Peace to be built on the Washington
Mall. However, the Institute is
operated by the US government and has never opposed a US invasion or war. It too falls short of providing a
national symbol that honors the memory of US peace advocates and
activists. The Mahatma Gandhi
Memorial in Washington DC (one of many Gandhi monuments found in cities
throughout the US), recognizes the peace leadership of a remarkable individual,
but not of a US citizen. While
millions of American men and women have taken public stands for peace and
against US war, there is no national public space that is set aside to
distinctly honor these citizens and validate their efforts.
There are some local and regional
tributes to peace in US towns, parks, and university campuses, including peace
poles that display the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth", but none
are national in scope. Although many government sponsored memorials use
the word peace in their title, most are more accurately described as
commemorating war. Two of the more prominent are the PerryŐs Victory and
International Peace Memorial in Put-in-Bay, Ohio and the Eternal Light Peace
Memorial in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which are actually monuments to US
battles.
While the
war memorials in Washington encourage discussion of patriotism and military
sacrifice, they provide an extremely narrow view of national service. They reinforce the idea that one of the
highest American ideals is to wage war.
Many so-called peace memorials often underscore this view – that
combat is necessary to win or enforce the peace. Social discourse, aided by national and
local public symbols, is limited to intense pride for battles fought and wars
won.
It
is not surprising then that in US history, peace leadership has generally gone
unacknowledged and peace activists have often been labeled un-American,
antimilitary, and unpatriotic. Those in opposition to US war(s) have often been
labeled as traitors, Bolsheviks,
Communists, or terrorist sympathizers. Some of these individuals have faced
derision, injury, vandalism to their property, loss of
employment, loss of promotion opportunities, loss of friends, censure, legal
action, and even imprisonment. Without wide-reaching and positive public
recognition for peace leadership, these labels and social threats reproduce a
culture that is unaware of, indifferent to, or hostile toward courageous US
peacemaking efforts.
Shared
cultural symbols in public spaces have the ability to bring previously
marginalized and devalued voices (Minty, 2006) and lesser known American values
into the arena of public discourse.
The monuments currently in the nationŐs capital ignore peace leadership
and antiwar activity in our American history. New memorials can serve as catalysts for
discussion regarding American peace efforts: they can validate antiwar
activities and preserve the memories and personal narratives of role models for
peace leadership. With a national
peace memorial, advocating for peace and discussing alternatives to war will
become more familiar, accessible, and socially acceptable in
US culture.
Toward an Ethos of Peace
A cultural shift of
this magnitude requires that a new
shared symbol be built in a highly visible, public space to identify and
honor past and present US role models for peace. To this end, the US Peace Memorial Foundation, a national,
not-for-profit, grassroots organization, is spearheading a national effort to
recognize peace leadership through building and maintaining the US Peace
Memorial in Washington DC, and publishing the US Peace Registry (n.d.).
The
US Peace Memorial will honor the millions of thoughtful and committed Americans
who have taken a public stand against a particular US war or who have devoted
their time, energy, and other resources to peace. This includes US citizens who
have opposed and/or resisted US military solutions involving invasion,
occupation, production of weapons of mass destruction, use of weapons, and/or threats
of war to solve international problems, rather than diplomacy and global
cooperation. The Memorial will
serve as a shared public symbol to remind all who visit - US citizens and
foreign guests - that Americans value peace. With pro-peace and antiwar
quotations from famous Americans, the US Peace Memorial will be an educational
experience, providing interaction with models of peace advocacy and examples of
antiwar activities. Ultimately,
visitors will have the opportunity to recognize and internalize an important
cultural value so that it becomes part of public consciousness.
Individual
examples of peace leadership are recorded and published in the US Peace Registry. Since institutions also exert leadership
(Gardner, 1999), the US
Peace Registry includes organizational peace and antiwar activities as
well. In addition to recognizing
these role models, the registry documents a broad range of specific peace and
antiwar behaviors. The registry
includes a continuum of contributions from Americans who have written antiwar
letters to their representatives in Congress or newspapers, to those who have
devoted their lives to peace and opposing war. Organizations ranging from groups such
as the Quakers, who have opposed war for centuries, to the hundreds of
peace-related websites receive recognition. Currently published as a living document
(www.USPeaceMemorial.org/registry),
the US Peace Registry will eventually
be printed as a reference book and be displayed electronically for public
viewing at the US Peace Memorial in Washington DC.
The
US Peace Memorial and US Peace Registry
both honor and document US peace role models in order to educate and inspire
new generations of Americans. These projects should help to unite the peace
movements that transcend several generations and promote a more positive
societal reaction to opposition to US war.
Neither project seeks to diminish or disparage the important role and
sacrifice of those who serve in the US military, or disregard the possibility
of a just war (Orend, 2005). Rather, the US Peace Memorial Foundation
serves to promote a culture where our traditions and rituals not only pay
tribute to those who fight for our freedom, but also honor those who exercise
this freedom by seeking peaceful alternatives to US war.
With the
creation of this national monument, US citizens will have the opportunity to be
as aware and proud of those who demand alternatives to war as it is of those
who fight in war. Peace activists
will be considered patriots as they are honored in the nationŐs capital for
service to their country.
Demonstrating this national pride, through a visible and shared memorial
to peace, will encourage Americans to explore peace advocacy during times when
only the voices of war are being heard.
References
Gardner, H. (1999). The vehicle and the vehicles of leadership. American Behavioral
Scientist, 42(6), 1009-1023.
Kennedy, J. F. (n.d.). Conscientious
objectors. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Quotations+of+John+F+Kennedy.htm
Minty, Z. (2006). Post-apartheid public art in Cape Town: Symbolic reparations and public
space. Urban Studies, 43(2), 421-440.Orend, B. (2005). War. In E. N. Zata (Ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer Edition). Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/war/.
Swidler, A. (1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review,
51, 273-286.
US Peace Registry. (n.d.). The US Peace Memorial Foundation. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.USPeaceMemorial.org/registry
US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
public charity.
The IRS has determined that donations are tax deductible.
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