Artists unite for a Sunday of peace

Several years ago, poet Sonia Sánchez had just returned from her three-mile morning walk. As she sat on her porch sipping green tea and reading the paper, she heard childish voices from the sidewalk nearby, raised in agitation.

Aroused from her moment of tranquillity, she asked the schoolchildren why they were arguing and invited them onto her porch to quell their unrest. She asked them to listen to the birds singing - to feel the peace that embodied her home.

"This is my house, this is my porch, but this is also my sidewalk," Sánchez told them. "If you feel unpeaceful, knock on my door. Let me show you how to breathe, to rid yourself of anger."

Sánchez, the first poet laureate of Philadelphia, believes that "in order to get things done, you have to assume a peaceful activist role." Sunday she will host Footprints of Peace, a Peace Day Philly 2014 event at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in honor of International Peace Day.

The renowned author, poet, teacher, and activist, who turns 80 on Friday, asked friends and fellow activists to speak and perform at the celebration of peace.

The multigenerational lineup includes singer-songwriter Lady Alma, spoken-word artist Black Ice, Broadway actress Vinie Burrows, actor and singer TC Carson, Harrisburg poet laureate Rick Kearns, and others. Guests can watch them and participate in activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In the afternoon, a poetry-writing workshop for guests will be hosted by Coatesville nonprofit Arts Holding Hands and Hearts. Jan Michener, the executive director of the organization, will bring cut-out newspaper headlines, which attendees will choose randomly to construct a poem.

"Art and poetry is so powerful because what it does, it speaks to the heart, it speaks to the emotions," Michener said. "When we speak from the heart, that's the only way peace will happen."

Sánchez partnered with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program for a project called Peace is a Haiku Song, which collected haikus about peace and created a large mural at Broad and Christian Streets.

She said she's excited to be working with the Penn Museum, which will display the work of children from the Community Council Health Systems' Artistic and Cultural Enrichment Camp and Afterschool Programs.

Sunday's program also will feature the unveiling of a Mural Arts Program Peace Bench.

Sánchez said she has appealed to Mayor Nutter to establish similar peace benches throughout the city.

"The great thing about having this at Penn Museum is because it is a place where they are dedicated to the study of human history and diversity," she said.

"Let's say that this Peace Day will be the beginning of a whole year of peace and nonviolence, and make that important in this city for our children and adults." Sánchez says she hopes Footprints of Peace will be inclusive of all interested Philadelphians.

Lamar Manson, who has performed spoken word with Def Poetry Jam and recorded hip-hop under the name Black Ice, said performing at the event was a "no-brainer," noting that when he grew up attending public school in Philadelphia, his writing and love of theater were encouraged.

Since budget cuts now are limiting many students' access to arts programs, he said, events like Footprints of Peace are important. "When we deal with communities, we have to know who the adversary is and come together - the way [Sánchez] is calling for us to come together - and give back to the community in whatever way is necessary."

Vinie Burrows, an actor, writer and producer, said she planned to address an issue close to her heart: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the United States has signed but not ratified.

"Peace is more than the absence of war, the absence of conflict," Burrows said. "Peace is all those aspects that help to elevate and give human dignity to a person. It means a job, it means good education, it means equality of opportunity."

By participating in Footprints of Peace, Burrows said, she's reinforcing "that we have to think of waging peace in the same way that institutions wage war."

Footprints of Peace

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

Tickets: Free - $10.

Information: 215-898-4000 or www.penn.museum

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