Adin Ballou
and the Hopedale Community

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August 2012

Third Annual FAB Peace Picnic
"The Best Yet!"

Hopedale, MA--An enthusiastic and diverse crowd of forty or more attended the third annual Friends of Adin Ballou "Peace Picnic" on August 5 to bring awareness to the cause of peace and social justice. "This is the most successful and best attended so far!" said Jeanne Kinney, co-founder of the Friends of Adin Ballou. The sunny weather held out until almost 5 p.m. when thunderbolts provided counterpoint to the stirring speeches.

MetroWest Peace Action was among the groups who gathered in Adin Ballou Memorial Park, on the corner of Peace St. and Hopedale St., to advocate and foster non-violence in the modern day. MetroWest Peace Action is a coalition of individuals and groups in the Metrowest area of Boston working to create and sustain peace at home and abroad through the use of the principles of non-violence.

Highlights of the picnic included:

* A recitation by Hopedale student Jagath Jai Kumar of his award-winning entry in the Adin Ballou Birthday Peace Essay contest [printed in the June 2012 newsletter ]

* Protest and peace songs performed by Hopedale student Anthony Alves, including Bob Marley's "No More Trouble" and John Lennon's "Working Class Hero"

* Bill Wright's original and emotional song "Boundaries," which he read as a poem [see the text below]

* Hopedale historian Dan Malloy's description of the relationship between Leo Tolstoy and Adin Ballou, and the high esteem that Tolstoy held for Ballou

* Jeanne Kinney's reading of the speech originally given by Eben S. Draper, in place of his brother General Wm. F Draper, at the dedication of Adin Ballou Memorial Park on October 27, 1900

* Peace poems read by those in attendance, including "Peace" by Henry Vaughan, "Clean War" by Patricia Wellingham-Jones, and "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight" by Vachel Lindsay.

See video of the Peace Picnic courtesy of Hopedale Cable

BOUNDARIES

by Bill Wright

In '69 I watched TV as three men flew to keep their date with history, with destiny
Apollo turned her cameras home and in the darkness this old pale earth shone
so peacefully, so beautifully.
Mountains that we knew were there, white clouds suspended in the air
were over me, they shadowed me.
We saw these things and we saw the seas but one thing that we could not see
were the Boundaries, Boundaries.

Lebanon, men defend the lines they say their Gods laid down,
their Boundaries
Ireland, Christians worship with their guns and their bombs,
Amen, Boundaries
The Gods look down and they cry in shame at what was being done in their holy names.
Amen, Boundaries

In L.A. town there's a kid face down, blood on the street, bad part of town
It makes no difference if he's white or brown when it's a bullet that brought him down and his blood pools round
He never knew that crossing the street, meant crossing a Boundary.

In '69 I watched TV as three men flew to keep their date with history, with destiny
Apollo turned her camera's home and in the darkness this old pale Earth shone
so peacefully, deceptively.
And the Gods look down and they cry in shame at what is being done in their holy names,
Amen. Boundaries.

FAB's Peace Picnic is inspired by the Antislavery Picnics held annually by the Hopedale Community in the days of Adin Ballou.

Susan Torrey Merritt, "Anti-Slavery Picnic at Weymouth Landing, Massachusetts," c. 1845

Day in the Park

September 15, 2012

Adin Ballou's house at 64 Dutcher Street will be open to the public, and his writings will be on sale.

International Day of Peace

September 21, 2012

Each year on Septamber 21, the United Nations marks the International Day of Peace. Passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2001, the day is to be "devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples."

Beginning in 2004, the World Council of Churches has marked the day with an International Day of Prayer for Peace A spiritually-based, multifaith 24-hour vigil for peace has taken place each year around the world.

The Way of Nonviolence: A Luncheon Honoring Michael D. True

October 21, 2012 - 12-2 p.m.

We have received a message from the Center for Nonviolent Solutions, the peace organization from Worcester, begun by FAB member Michael True. Mike delivered the very first FAB lecture at the Bancroft Library. He more than anyone has understood Adin Ballou's enormous contribution and his place in the history of nonviolence. Over the years, Mike has freely shared his knowledge with us and encouraged us to grow.

On October 21, 2012, the Center for Nonviolent Solutions will host The Way of Nonviolence: A Luncheon Honoring Michael D. True.

The luncheon will acknowledge Mike's numerous contributions to the field of nonviolence and peacemaking as Professor Emeritus, activist and writer. Dr. Eileen Babbitt, Professor of Practice in International Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts U. will speak about local and global efforts to address conflicts in nonviolent ways.

Attendance: $30. Proceeds will support NSC's education, and mediation services in the community.
Location: Tilton Hall at Clark University, Worcester, MA
RSVP: Contact The Center for Nonviolent Solutions for reservations (200 max)

FAB Fall Lecture

October 21, 2012 - 3 p.m.

Dan Malloy will lecture on Hopedale in the Underground Railroad at Hopedale Unitarian Parish.

Adin Ballou and the Hopedale Community