Wednesday, February 18, 2004
David Gershon and his wife, Gail Straub were the folks who introduced me to the idea of the First Earth Run.
You can read his story and see photos from a number of photographers, including myself at the Empowerment Institute site.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies on the morning of the 16th, a team of runners, including members of the UN Runner's Club, and the core team runners who would escort the flame around the world, joined to begin a continuous overland relay from New York to Boston. Along the way, folks from local communities joined in to carry the torch. The first runner, shown above, was a young Special Olympics athlete.
After the ceremony was done and the torch was on its way, I went back to the space UNICEF had made available to the FER, I packed up, and headed to Boston, doing my final packing for the 3 month journey there. I made contact with the running team in the suburbs and was with the team as the torch finished its first overland segment in Boston. The photo above is from a candle-lighting ceremony at Faneuil Hall.
Before dawn, Native American elders gathered to create and bless a fire using wood that had been gathered from the grounds of the UN.
Later in the morning, dignitaries, including UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, UNICEF Chairman, Jim Grant, and UNICEF Spokesman Danny Kaye, joined in the ceremonies outside the UN General Assembly building, honoring the International Day of Peace and launching the First Earth Run. Among the many participants were a massed children's choir and a young girl who read an impassioned plea for Peace.
16 September, 1986 was the International Day of Peace at the UN.
11 December, 1986 was UNICEF's 40th anniversary.
During the 86 days spanning those two dates, two teams carried a flame around the world to events celebrating Peace and Children. Recently, I've been re-examining some of my photographs from that journey. This series of posts is part of that re-examination.
I first heard of the idea for the First Earth Run from the founders as they began articulating the idea to others. I was inspired to contribute time as a volunteer by the idea of doing something positive to remind us all of how we are connected. As I write this, I'm not sure how to reconcile that optimism with the state of the world today, though I think reexamining my experience and looking again at the images of people celebrating peace and children, and the images of this beautiful planet we share, will help me in my process.
I hope you find inspiration and solace as you look at the images I collected during that journey.