Today, September 22, marks the 48th anniversary of the enactment of the Peace Corps Act. And two years from today we hope you'll be with us on the National Mall in Washington, DC as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Peace Corps.
That's right. It's only two years away!
It's going to be a big deal.
As you can imagine, a lot of planning for this significant milestone has taken place in the past four years...and much remains. You can find information and resources concerning the 50th anniversary on National Peace Corps Association's regularly updated 50th Anniversary page. Access the latest outline and brief description of events planned for the anniversary year. Learn how to donate materials to the Peace Corps Collection at Kennedy Library or to the Peace Corps's Digital Library. And much more.
The most recent addition to the page is a letter from the NPCA Board Chair, Jan Guifarro, providing an important update on NPCA's activities around the 50th, including plans for a commemorative space near the National Mall. We encourage you to read it.
Jan writes:
This modest but powerful space would commemorate the founding of the Peace Corps and its place in American history and speak to the values of service and empathy embodied in the Peace Corps. It would not be a memorial to the individuals who died in Peace Corps service, nor a monument honoring the Peace Corps. Rather, this space would commemorate the Peace Corps’s ideals and values. It would honor and celebrate the American values of service, empathy and peace, emphasizing their lasting significance in the American experience, and remind Americans and the world, of our continuing commitment to these values. Like all such proposals, the commemorative would have to be authorized by the Congress, agreed to by the President and the specific plans would have to be approved by the relevant governmental agencies. This review process ensures adherence to the laws and regulations related to use of public space in the heart of our nation’s capital.
As we develop our 50th Anniversary plans, including the commemorative, we will continue to reach out to the Peace Corps community. We recognize that not every community member agrees with every aspect of what the Peace Corps or NPCA does, nor will everyone support every aspect of the 50th Anniversary plans and activities. We do, however, firmly believe that based on extensive consultation there is broad consensus that now is the time for the establishment of a commemorative near the National Mall that honors the founding of the Peace Corps, its place in American history, and the values it represents.
[You can read Executive Order 10924: Establishment of the Peace Corps here, at the National Archive's website. And this morning Garrison Keillor did a nice little piece as part of his daily Writer's Almanac show on National Public Radio. You can read it or listen to it here.]
Recent Comments