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Peace movement takes on a sense of urgency
By SUSAN THURSTON
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- Jan Roberts had been planning the Earth Charter Summit for years. She hoped it would bring people together for the common good of the planet and inspire equality, respect and peace. Roberts had no idea it would take place a few weeks after the nation's deadliest act of terrorism, making it more timely than she could ever have conceived. Now, she considers it more important than ever. "I believe that if we were operating under the principles and values of the charter we would not be in this mess right now," said Roberts, national summit coordinator and head of the Tampa-based Institute for Ethics & Meaning. Hundreds of people took part in the Earth Charter Summit on Saturday at the University of Tampa. Central to the event was signing the charter's "Declaration of Interdependence," a document to be presented to the United Nations in 2002. "I believe in what the charter stands for," said Richard Bittmann of Tampa, after writing his name on the scroll. "I'm for peace and social justice." The event marked the U.S. launch of the charter initiative. Tampa was among about a dozen cities that hosted summits, which were linked via satellite. In a speech broadcast to the other summits, actor Danny Glover spoke at Pepin/Rood Stadium in Tampa on what the charter means to him. The charter was part of the unfinished business from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. Five years later, an international committee was formed to draft the document. Members included Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet Union president. During the past several years, thousands of people in 56 countries signed the grass-roots charter, known as the people's treaty. It calls for building a sustainable society on these principles: respect and care for the community of life; ecological protection; social and economic justice; and democracy, nonviolence and peace. The charter's language takes on a deeper meaning in light of the recent attacks and the calls for retaliation. While not addressing the terrorism specifically, it points to a global crossroads. "We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise." The summit attracted some community activist groups promoting peace, not aggression. Members sought to solicit support for nonviolent action and to counteract reports that the overwhelming majority of Americans want war. "We want to prosecute the people who are responsible, but we don't want broad-based attacks on civilian populations," said Jamie Simpson, a member of the Coalition for Peace and Social Justice, based in St. Petersburg. Other organizations, like the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, focused on protecting the environment as a way for people to show patriotism and love for the land. Chuck Johnson of Seminole Heights said he was heartened by the spirit of the summit and hoped it would result in lasting, meaningful dialogue among decision-makers. "I would like to see an across-the-board evaluation of our foreign policy so we are a country not so unprepared for the actions of the people who are unhappy with the ways of our government."
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