Categorized | Education

Hawaii teachers impact NEA national assembly

Nancy Porter and Justin Hughey (Photo special to Hawaii 24/7)

MEDIA RELEASE

The National Education Association has approved a New Business Item (NBI) at its annual Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C., urging its more than 3 million members to support the International Day of Peace.

Justin Hughey, of the Hawaii delegation, presented the NBI to the 8,000 delegates at the forum.

“If humans can figure out how to stop killing each other, we won’t have a problem funding a quality public education for every child,” Hughey said.

The International Day of Peace – Sept. 21 – has been officially recognized by the U.N. since 1981, and traditionally marks the opening of that body’s annual session.

The NEA, the largest teachers union in the world, stands for many of the same values that are part of the U.N.’s mission of peace. These include equality, economic justice, good health, and preservation of the environment.

“This is an example of how teachers in Hawaii and around the nation are making a difference,” said Wil Okabe, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. “From their classrooms, teachers can help build a nation with more respect and compassion for the welfare and rights of all people, as well as for the safekeeping of our precious environment.”

The Hawaii state Legislature, lobbied by the Junior Young Buddhists Association of teenagers in 2007, became the first and only state in America to have a permanent Peace Day. The Peace Committee of Hawaii and hundreds of other organizations celebrate the International Day of Peace throughout the world, yet it remains largely unknown to the general public.

Jeanne Clement (Honokaa High and Intermediate School) secured the necessary signatures needed for submission by Hughey (King Kamehameha III School). The NBI was drafted by Miles Okumura of the Peace Committee, assisted by Nancy Porter (Iowa) of the Peace and Justice Caucus.

Okumura (Honokaa High and Intermediate School) is a member of the Caucus and recipient of the United Nations Association of Hawaii “Peacemaker of the Year” award.

“As educators, we have the potential to make this world a better place by teaching the next generation the values of peace, compassion and awareness of interdependence of life,” Okumura said. “100,000 teachers can reach 15 million future citizens every year with just one lesson plan a year. Over the course of our careers, we can raise and educate hundreds of millions of citizens.”

The Peace Committee produces the “Annual Parade and Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace” in Honokaa. It is the largest and most elaborate celebration of its kind in the world, now in its sixth year.

Programs include peace education and activities such as the Peace Poster contest.

— Find out more:
www.peacedayparade.org
www.neapeaceandjustice.org

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