Hope for Peace & Justice was honored as the 2008 Peacemaking Organization of the Year by the Dallas Peace Center at the 22nd Annual Peacemaker Awards Dinner held Thursday, December 4. The award reads, “Hope for Peace & Justice speaks to the values and views that are held by progressive people of faith. By seeking justice for the marginalized and advocacy for peace, they express values which are deeply rooted in the traditions of Judaism, the history of Christianity and the authenticity of Islam. Through activism, art and education, Hope for Peace & Justice demonstrates the values at the heart of the organization: hope, acceptance, repentance and forgiveness.”

In accepting the award, H4PJ President Rev. Michael Piazza acknowledged what a great honor it is to receive an award from the city’s oldest peace organization, which has been so diligent in the pursuit of the values we all hold dear.

The presentation was one of the highlights of the evening, as H4PJ also was given the opportunity to premiere a new song written by Dallas singer-songwriter Gary Floyd called “Look No Further … It Is I,” which addresses the ongoing debate about immigration in the United States. The video of the song, which also was premiered at the dinner, was created by Shawn Northcutt and features, along with Floyd, Denise Lee and Liz Mikel.

H4PJ continues to work for justice, striving daily for equal rights for everyone. We, of course, live in frightening economic times, but, on top of the fear of losing your job, lay the very real chance of deportation or even incarceration, simply for seeking a better life for you and your children.

For more than 120 years, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed all with the words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” penned by Emma Lazarus 1883. There are no qualifiers in Lazarus’s words, so when did Lady Liberty’s warm welcome turn into a cold heart? Which immigrants are acceptable and which are not, and who has the power to decide?

Asking the question, “Who will light your way, lead you from the dark of night into a brighter day?” Floyd has woven together the words of Emma Lazarus, Jesus and Buddha to remind us that we are, indeed, one family and that each of us is called upon to respond, “Look no further, it is I.”

This is the perfect time of year to be reminded of those less fortunate who struggle in our midst for even the smallest modicum of Peace on Earth. Please share this video with your friends, families and e-mail lists.

Blessings,

Michael Piazza
President, Hope for Peace & Justice

If you have not already signed the petition to END SPECIAL RIGHTS for Heterosexual Taxpayers please do so today and then forward it to everyone in your address book. We have got to change this conversation to an argument we can win.