September 11 Multifaith Peace Picnic & Prayers 2019

Mark this day for friendship, solidarity and peace!
Wednesday, September 11, 6-8pm
King Plaza, 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto

Join us for this annual multifaith gathering. The picnic (complementary vegan meal) begins at 6pm followed by a program at 6:45pm. Both are hosted by American Muslim Voice in partnership with MVPJ and others. This year there will be just ONE PROGRAM with prayers and words for peace from diverse faith traditions, music, singing and children's choirs. 

SPECIAL SPEAKER: Gloria Williams* from September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows (family members who lost a loved one on 9/11/01).

RSVP: While the event is free, we need to know if you are coming so we can plan our food and set-up accordingly. PLEASE RSVP using this Eventbrite link.

Are you available to help? Please click here to fill out our volunteer form. 

Everyone is welcome!

Sponsored by Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice and American Muslim Voice.
Local faith organizations who are cohosting this event include: All Saints Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; Bahá’í Community of Palo Alto; Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Peace, South Bay Chapter; Berkeley Masjid (Mosque); Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale; Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills; Congregation Etz Chayim; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Covenant Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto; First Congregational Church, Palo Alto; First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto; First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto; Keddem Congregation; MVPA Musalla (Muslim Worship Place); Oshman Family Jewish Community Center; Palo Alto Buddhist Temple; People Acting in Community Together (PACT); Peninsula Faith Leaders' Solidarity Cohort; Region 7, Sathya Sai International Organization USA; St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; South Bay Islamic Association; Stanford Memorial Church and Office for Religious Life; Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto; Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Los Gatos; Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, Social Justice Team; University Lutheran Church of Palo Alto, In memory of Sayed & Razia Inamdar, South Bay Islamic Association, Trinity Church in Menlo Park Episcopal, Carry the Vision, Silicon Valley Inter-religious Council, along with other individuals, businesses and organizations of good will!

If your community, congregation or organization would like to co-host, contact Diana Gibson at diana@multifaithpeace.org.

*Our special speaker, Gloria Williams, is a member of the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows flying from her home in New York to be with us this day. Her brother-in-law, Vernon Paul Cherry, was one of many heroic firefighters who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, risking their own lives to save others by sheperding building occupants to safety.

Gloria and her late husband lived and raised their family in multicultural communities. They were horrified at the intolerance leveled at the Muslim community after 9/11/01. They committed themselves to fight this injustice and hatred just as they fought the injustice and hatred they faced as African Americans. Gloria has long been active in the struggles for social justice and firmly believes in peaceful solutions to conflict as opposed to war. She holds that "racial and religious intolerance has no place in this great country of ours. We must fight it and continue to reach our goal of 'Peaceful Tomorrows.'"

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 16, 1963.