(Submitted by Not In Our Town BG)
Not In Our Town BG will hold the fourth Annual Peace March on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. This annual event is part of Not In Our Town efforts to promote peace, to stop hate, and to create an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment for everyone.
Everyone is welcome to join community members, BGSU faculty, staff and students, and BGSU and community civic leaders as we show our solidarity and joint commitment to inclusion, diversity and making the city and the campus a safe and welcoming place for all.
The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. as we assemble at the Wooster Green in downtown BG (on the corner of West Wooster Street and South Church Street). At this location we will hear from Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers and other dignitaries from BGSU.
The march itself will begin at noon and we will walk eastward on Wooster Street to Thurstin Street, then north to the Bowen-Thompson Student Union parking lot, concluding at the Union Oval. At the BGSU Oval, we will hear from Bowling Green Mayor Richard Edwards and other dignitaries from BG.
The event will conclude on the BGSU Oval with pizza and fellowship.
The theme of NIOT BG events for the month of November is “Peace In Our Town.” Participants are encouraged to make and carry signs that promote a message of peace in our community. Marchers are welcome to join us at any point on the parade route.
Pledge cards will be available so that attendees can take the NIOT pledge, which says that the signer will promote peace; provide a safe and inclusive environment for friends and neighbors; commit to end hate and intolerance; not tolerate acts of discrimination; lead and live through example and take a stand against hateful actions. Attendees can also sign banners in support of the initiative.
The city of Bowling Green and BGSU formally launched the NOIT initiative in April 2013 to affirm their commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion and to embrace and celebrate diversity.
