THE PEACE GARDEN

A Peace Garden was established in 1981 by students who were shocked and saddened by the crimes against humanity when reading the Holocaust Novel, The Painted Bird, authored by Jerzy Kosiński in a Union County College Banned Books Class taught by Professor Vicki Reback. They were inspired to do something, so they sought to GROW A BETTER WORLD.Their Advisor, Vicki Reback, had to teach her students that in order to grow a better world they would need to connect with and become Caretakers of Earth.  Prof. Vicki, Monica, Alan, and Winfred started a Garden on the Union County College Cranford Campus.  From the Garden grew the Garden Club, that in turn grew into a community of Socially, Environmentally Conscious Students. In 1984 The Garden became a designated Peace Site, the first of its kind in the State of New Jersey, a part of The Global Peace Pole Project founded by Masahisa Goi from Japan.After World War II and the dropping of the atomic bomb, his life took on new meaning and he began to share his philosophy for a better world in his small town and he created the peace pole as standing prayer for peace with the words, “ May Peace Prevail on Earth.”  His philosophy became popular and grew in Japan.  When he died in 1983, his adopted daughter took the initiative internationally, and it became The Global Peace Pole Project.Since being designated the first NJ Peace Site in The Peace Pole Project in 1984, the UCC Garden Club held Annual Fairs for the celebration of Peace Week and Earth Day. The Peace Garden was visited by Tibetan Monks, Native American Leaders like Chief Roy Crazyhorse of the Powhatan Nation, Famous Poet Allen Ginsberg, The PeaceWeavers, and famous folk singer, Holly Near. And then it was a sanctuary for students and visitors until 2014 when the Garden was demolished by the College to make room for a new Student Center.That First Peace Garden will be replanted this April 2022 in the Elizabeth New Jersey Library Garden, Elmora Branch along with a new Peace Pole with the standing prayer ”May Peace Prevail on Earth“ in 8 languages, including the Ukrainian language for the People who have had their Peace, Liberty and Justice stolen from them.May the planting of this Peace Pole bring the return of Peace in our world.  Please join us for our programming in April 2022, as we grow a Better World and learn to become Caretakers of Earth and Keepers of Peace together.This history education and arts program is made possible in part by a2022 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grantfrom the Union County Board of County Commissioners.