Book the Butterfly Quilt or Contact Lura for more information

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Butterfly Peace Quilt Traveled to Texas


The Cheek girls sing, "You've got to be Carefully Taught," on the first night of a four-day event at Trinity Presbyterian Church's 50th Anniversary Celebration. This church was a beacon for integrating the city in the 60s.

On April 15th in Denton, Texas, an eclectic group of around 80 folks gathered at Trinity Presbyterian Church to listen to the rudiments of a peace curriculum that will soon be compiled for teachers to download: "You have to be carefully Taught...to be Peacemakers." Prefacing my keynote talk to a smattering of teachers, Denton community members, peace activists, church members and peace studies students was the singing of a familiar song. It was made famous in the musical South Pacific which received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950 and opened soon after WWII.

Two young girls (ages 8 and 11) sang the words with a crystal clear beauty. Their poignant rendition introduced my talk about the necessity of teaching peacemaking inside an integrative curriculum that does not compromise high academic standards. The discipline-based compilation of reading, researching, writing, speaking, listening, and relational skills are not sacrificed. Instead they are promoted.

"How and why do we learn fear and prejudice?... Is there a need or place for facing these issues in school systems? ...Let me tell you about a project that arose out of a rigorous curriculum... What's the educational connection between a butterfly peace quilt and visions-of-peace postcards sent to Oprah Winfrey? ...Let me tell you about the involvement of middle schoolers in the developing peace park, the only one of its kind in the U.S., to commemorate the 24 American Nobel Peace Laureates in Eugene, Oregon..."

An hour later people in the audience still seemed interested. Thank goodness, Kim Barnett, was heard to say that she could have listened all night. She "got it!"

South Pacific's theme song of racial intolerance argues that racism is learned from an early age. When the play was originally produced, Rodgers and Hammerstein were pressured to get rid of the song. The fear was that the sensitive content might jeopardize the economic success of the musical, but the creative musicians were adamant that the song remain. Its relevance continues and expands today in the teaching of peace and accepting differences with respect and the necessity of purposeful education.

For many of my 17 years of teaching social studies(history, geography and cultures) to middle schoolers in Oregon, I quoted those potent words and substituted the word "love" for "hate" at the beginning of each year's curriculum introduction.

There are those who observe our nation's bitter divisions between political ideologies and feel discouraged. Both liberal and conservative views lack elements of respectful dialogue and debate. Categories are hardened. Sound-bite experts challenge one another's opinions on almost everything. Thusly, I believe that a variety of curricular approaches for peace education in our schools is paramount and timely. The children can direct us back to embracing differences with respect, kindly dialogue and debate based on more than personal point of view, and perhaps, compromise for the greater democratic good. The kernels of truth in children's visions of peace encourage us to remember our own dreams and visions before life intervened. They inspire us to action and thoughtful peacemaking that will make a difference in the world.

"You've got to be taught to
hate and fear.
You've got to be taught from year to year.
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear.
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shad,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
You've got to be carefully taught!"
Lyrics from South Pacific's "You've got to be carefully taught"

Love or hate? Big choice. Huge consequences when we change the lyrics.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Open Letter Sent to Oprah Winfrey


Dear Oprah,

Six months to go until the butterfly peace quilt arrives at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England! Will you be there to receive it in September? I would love to present it to you in the name of idealistic adolescents who chose you as an activist for peace. You could hang it in your school in Africa. It's been a backdrop for the 1,000,000 Vision-of-Peace Postcard Campaign.

I continue to keep my "Teacher's Promise" to spread middle schoolers' peace visions for one year. As a retiring teacher last June, I pledged to Shasta Middle Schoolers in Eugene, Oregon, that I would try to be their voices for peace wherever I was invited to talk locally, nationally, internationally the next year. I have done that. My volunteer efforts have been devoted to urging adults and other children to send peace your way--to literally join 1,000,000 other visions-of-peace postcards flooding your snailmail box. Slowly and consistently those messages have fluttered as butterflies of hope to Chicago and into your overflowing mailbox. Tell me that you have seen them. Please. Your staffer couldn't grow away peace.

I have written you four times over the past year urging you to look out for these 4 by 6 inch postcards addressed to you but with no return addresses or last names. I always reminded you about my vow to go around the world on my dime paying forward the beauty and poignancy of the children's hopes for peace in their future world. You might remember that the peace project began with a research study on the U.S. Nobel Peace Prize Winners. After learning about a special hero, each 11-year-old sent you a vision of peace, a uniquely special one. Have you read one? It would be enough to inspire you about making our world a happier, better place of peace.

On April 23, Marge Aukerman from Spokane, Washington will be on your show in the audience. When I was in Spokane recently, she was inspired by the kids' visions of peace and asked what she could do to bring those 1,000,000 cards to your attention. She plans to hand-deliver more visions from her friends in her community. (By the way, her vision of peace is, "...for people to listen to each other, especially in conflict situations.") She knows that you will not receive cards on the show, but she will leave them outside the studio in the hands of someone gracious enough to give them to you after the show. Please listen.

Sending you healing butterflies, Lura Pierce

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Possible Possibility? Meet the Butterfly Quilt at the Prime Meridian in September, Oprah


Two tickets for London, England were purchased today. Six months in advance. The quilt journey ends in September, and John and I will cap it off at Greenwich. Wouldn't it be great if other peacemakers decided to gather at the Prime Meridian on September 11 to help deliver the butterfly peace quilt to Ms. Oprah? (The Queen might be more accessible.)

Today I'm organizing April peace talks both in Texas and in two more Oregon schools while practicing my impersonation of Eleanor Roosevelt during breaks. Eleanor be carrying the peace quilt to future generations during a May A.A.U.W. luncheon in Lake Oswego. I love "becoming" Eleanor, a personal hero of mine...also a relative.

I started my day by writing Oprah with a quick update on the peace quilt journey's progress around the world. I suggested she come and collect the quilt at the Prime Meridian in September, of course. ( She could Skype at the very least.) I continue to write her periodically. I want her to acknowledge that adolescents are continuing to influence all ages to become peacemakers. In this particular letter I suggested that she look for "Postmistress" Marge Aukerman in her Chicago audience on April 23. Marge will be handing over more filled-out peace postcards from Washington State adults and children


Marge Aukerman(second from left) will visit Chicago on April 23. She can't show the quilt on Oprah's show but will drop visions-of-peace postcards in the media star's path.

I started my day by writing Oprah with a quick update on the peace quilt journey's progress around the world. I suggested she come and collect the quilt at the Prime Meridian in September, of course. ( She could Skype at the very least.) I continue to write her periodically. I want her to acknowledge that adolescents are continuing to influence all ages to become peacemakers. In this particular letter I suggested that she look for "Postmistress" Marge Aukerman in her Chicago audience on April 23. Marge will be handing over more filled-out peace postcards from Washington State adults and children.

Finally, I paused to take stock. I affirmed the middle schoolers' impossible dream of inspiring the sending of 1,000,000 peace visions addressed to Oprah Winfrey out into the ether. To boost my flagging spirits, I looked at pictures of the faces of children teaching younger children about peace.

I memorized the following words from Frances Morre Lappe: "It's not possible to know what is possible," before taking a nap.

Search This Blog