Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 10:30 am at Billings Park (S Salina St & E Adams St, Syracuse, NY 13202)
There will be a short program, and Mayor Ben Walsh will read the Armistice Day for Peace Mayoral Proclamation. Bells will be rung, followed by a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. to honor the true purpose of Armistice Day, and to renew the commitment to work for an end to all wars and to foster justice and peace at home and abroad. Please bring handbells if you have them! Over one hundred years ago, the world celebrated peace as a universal principle. The first World War had just ended, and nations mourned their dead and collectively called for an end to all wars.
Armistice Day was born and was designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.” However, in 1954 the U.S. Congress renamed Nov. 11 as Veterans Day and the annual dedication to world peace mutated into the glorification of war and hero worship of the military . Armistice Day changed from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism. The primary beneficiaries of the continued emphasis on militarism are the weapons manufacturers and the “defense” industry. Rather than pay homage to weapons of destruction, this commemoration aims to amplify the voices of military resisters and remember all victims of wars.
We hope to see you there. Sponsored by Beyond War and Militarism (a joint committee of the Syracuse Peace Council and the CNY Solidarity Coalition) and Syracuse Veterans for Peace.
