Choosing Peace: The Quaker World Peace Summit 2025-26 • Norfolk

By Sean C. Bowers

Saturday, November 8th at the Impacting Lives breakfast celebration, a poetic invitation was issued for a peace-based plan to host a world peace summit right here in Norfolk.

What would that look and sound like? And why now?

It is an S.O.S.  call to all of Hampton Roads and beyond just like our port’s shipping world-wide reach. We are the original Virginia “FREE Thought” thinkers, and Idea conceptualizers, who became exporter-FREE SPEECH champions of the world.

It’s a tribute nod to our area’s (and the Nation’s) oldest and first Cape Henry lighthouse. (Lighthouses keep sea traffic from hitting the shores, shoals, sand bars, and from running aground.) This one has operated safely since 1789. It was commissioned by cherry-tree-chopping, truth-telling, VIRGINIAN, founding-father of our nation, 1st President, George Washington.

We are the poetic “emergency early warning response system” setting an example for the nation, and the national conversation, since our nation’s birth.

The Quaker Peace World Summit 2025-26 is a simple call for a peace-based gathering of all people, and all faiths to meet together to pray for peace countering the negative energy being put forth by divisive elements in our country.

Promoting four main ideas would be the starting point.

We affirm, first and foremost, a simple return to honoring ALL people and one other, truly practicing the “Golden Rule” that is found in all worldwide religions. Second, is a call to remove the scape-goating of “others” those different,  black and brown, or from another side of town, affirming that there is NO “OTHER.” We are all one in the sight of God.

Third, we need a return to the multi-religion parable-based example of setting an empty place at the metaphoric world table for every meal: for the hungry, for the less fortunate, for all in need, as the story we can all become “GREAT Samaritans.” The American example to the world we have always strived to establish and maintain, is under constant attack and the threat of demolition.

Fourth, we issue a inclusionary call to the White Nationalist Turning Point youth movement to invite their participation and active open dialogue  about what can we be doing more of to help those: less fortunate.  Those in need of shelter and food, the poor, the meek, the weak, the defenseless, and those most at risk?

Let us ask ourselves, “Can we do more?”

Let’s invite Vice-President J. D. Vance to come to Norfolk to engage with mini-steps, people of faith people of goodwill in our peaceful thoughtful time-honored tradition of open dialogue. “Our first-ever Virginia lighthouse – makes us a great starting point for this movement’s promotion of world peace, protection, and perfection.”

We, as a nation, need to collectively take a breath, pause, hold a beat, to slow ourselves and reset our nation’s baseline pulse, lowering the pressure. We need to change our pessimistic outlook of always reverting to “expecting, looking for, and seeing the worst in others.” That constant fear-based negative vigilance is overwhelmingly long-term unsustainable, self-destructive, and just plain exhausting.

We need enlightened ministers and churches to step forward to be a part of this project. While I don’t want to or feel compelled to lead this Quaker called for peace movement. However, I definitely want to have a say in defining and defending the movement forever forged in the defense of Black and Brown Americans. America’s melting pot is a smelting white-hot tool for forward inertia, momentum, and even progress, if and only if, it is harnessed for the betterment of ALL people’s.

Otherwise, the angry NEGATIVITY the super-rich, ultra-elite extremists will dominate the conversation. It is the polar opposite of what the approaching holiday season’s peaceful NATIVITY traditions of Kwanza, Judaism, Christianity, and Muslims ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT.

Division, is long, cumbersome, and exhausting. It yields only suspicion, fear, anger, mistrust, and pain. The blinded eye for an eye mental mentality, unfaithfully executed is that ultimate ending, foretold.

On the other hand, LOVE, learned and earned by the proverbial walking of a mile in another’s shoes, faithfully overcomes and delivers unity. We are all deliverables to our promised lands above. All first-in, never last-in, always forever lasting, is faith, reborn, devoid of scorn. We are all one in God’s sight.

Sean C. Bowers has written for The New Journal and Guide, CHAMPIONING overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. More of his work can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website, on social media at Linkedin.com or by email V1ZUAL1ZE@aol.com  NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 38 years) has always been his publisher.