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'Woman of Peace' Nominations Sought

Nominations of a historical woman to be considered for an additional monument in the campus Peace Garden will be accepted through May 15.

A committee has begun work to add a memorial to a "woman of peace." The woman selected will be someone who is no longer living but who made her life's work the struggle against oppression, discrimination, and prejudice and for a peaceful, humane and just social order.

The female honoree who will join the sculptures of Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar E. Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who all promoted a peaceful existence.

The concept of the Peace Garden began when a sculpture of Gandhi was dedicated in October 1990. The Chavez monument was dedicated in March 1996 and in January 1999 a memorial to honor King was added to the Peace Garden.

The memorial is the result of combined efforts of students, faculty, staff and administrators from Fresno State, plus various community groups from the Valley that provided financial assistance for each sculpture.

Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, chair of the Peace Garden Committee, said including a memorial to honor a woman of peace has always been a part of the plan.

"My own personal conviction is that without a woman the peace garden would not be complete," said. "The person we choose must have led a life strong in human rights, social justice, peace and non-violence. It will be a challenge to select just one woman because there are so many to choose from."

Women already nominated for consideration include: Jane Addams, Dorothy Day, Princess Diana, Amelia Earhart, Audrey Hepburn, Dolores Huerta, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Mother Theresa, Sally Ride, Carrie Chapman Catt, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Barbara Deming, Rachel Carson, Anna Mae Aquash, Angelina Grimke, Jeannette Rankin, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Sacagawea and Ida Wells.

Information about some of these women was prepared by students in the Women's Studies program and is on display in the Atrium of the University Student Union.

Nomination forms are available by calling 8-2364 or e-mailing rfares@csufresno.edu.

A university Peace Garden committee that includes faculty, staff, students and a community member will seek public input before making a decision.

The committee hopes to name the woman of peace this spring and then select an artist and begin a fund-raising drive with a goal of $50,000-$60,000. It is hoped the statue will be erected by 2005.

Future plans for the Peace Garden include recognition of Native Americans and a peace wall reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diversity of our community. Plans also include the development of the Richard D. Ford Peace Plaza, which will cost $200,000. It will be funded through a blend of public and private money. The plans for the Peace Plaza include concrete and brick paved walkways that will resemble spokes on a wheel and create a center focus for the garden.

Back to University Journal, 5/03 Issue