On Saturday, January 23rd 2021, the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center celebrated its 12th Annual Peace Awards Ceremony via ZOOM. Each year, the Peace Center selects an individual or organization to be awarded our Local Hero for Peace & International Hero for Peace Awards. This year, our International Hero for Peace selection was the non-profit organization, BLACK ALLIANCE FOR PEACE (BAP). BAP concentrates its efforts on opposing the U.S. war agenda and other projects of militarism abroad through educational activities, movement support, and awareness building. They also work to raise awareness about the link between global militarism and the state-sanctioned repression Black and Brown communities face domestically. We’ve been following the work of the Black Alliance for Peace since early last year – and we have been consistently impressed and inspired by their strong presence and leadership. During the pandemic, they have mobilized activists across the globe – as well as held space for webinars and discussion. Their latest webinar took place on December 10th, 2020 – entitled “From Malcolm X to Now: Struggle for Human Rights in the post-Trump Era” featuring speakers Ajamu Baraka and Jaribu Hill. This webinar can be viewed on facebook at the link below: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?... BAP was represented at the award ceremony by lead organizers, Margaret Kimberley and Bilal Ali. Bilal Ali introduced the group and Margaret Kimberley gave the acceptance keynote address. The virtual celebration on the 23rd featured keynote addresses from our awardees, a special Peace Center retrospective historical video, a raffle fundraiser, as well as time for small group discussion/mingling via breakout sessions. For more information on our work, please visit: www.ourpeacecenter.org
