Program

2:00 - 2:30 PM | Opening

• Background Music: Pianist Amir Avsker will provide soothing music to set the tone for a peaceful and reflective gathering.

• Welcome & Arrivals: As you arrive, please pick up your copy of A Proclamation for Peace poetry book, available in 50 different languages. We invite you to explore the translations and find one that resonates with you. 

• Cultural Snack Sharing: We invite you to bring a snack or dessert that represents your culture. These will be labeled with descriptions for everyone to enjoy and share in a communal spirit.

2:30 - 5:00 PM | Nourishing Connections: Snacks, Stories, and Seeds of Hope

• Snacks/Desserts Time: Take this time to enjoy the snacks and desserts brought by attendees from all cultures, and share stories of your loved ones and your culture.

• Peace Messages (Tree of Peace): Write a message of peace, love, or hope and hang it on our Tree of Peace, creating a shared expression of unity.

• Seed of Hope: Participate in the Seed of Hope project, where you can plant a seed as a symbol of peace and growth within our community.

2:30 - 4:30 PM | Celebrating Connection Through Culture

2:30 - 2:40 PM | Welcome

• The event will be officially welcomed by Marcus Ford, Hillsboro’s Community Engagement Manager, and Misty Schoene, Community Engagement Manager, Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, Oregon Department of Human Services.

2:40 - 2:50 PM | Land Acknowledgment

• Joe Cantrell, a Cherokee artist, photographer and educator, will honor the land we gather on with a land acknowledgment.

2:50 - 3:20 PM | Dance With Awareness

• Enjoy a captivating ceremonial dance performance by Jonathan "Johnny" Martinez and the Mitotiliztli Tezkatlipoka group, whose name in Nahuatl means "sacred dance," celebrating connection through movement and rhythm. 

3:20 - 4:30 PM | Voices of Peace: Poetry Sharing

• Allison deFreese, OSTI president and co-editor of A Proclamation for Peace, will share her inspiration behind Kim Stafford’s poem and its ongoing journey as it continues to be translated into more than 50 languages.

• Following this, Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford will read A Proclamation for Peace. Several readers, each representing a different language, will then share a translation of the poem in their native language:

  • • • Pashto – Zaher Wahab

      • Amharic – Nuhamin Eiden

      • Arabic – Muwafaq Alkattan

      • French – Derica Theobald

      • Fulani – Eugenie Adamah-Tassah

      • Kurdish – Shara Noori & Dlivan Sabr

      • Lao – Soumountha 'Sam' Bessas

      • Mandarin – Bing Theobald

      • Russian – Yulia Shipulina

      • Tagalog – Toni Valerio

      • Tamil – Prabu Muruganantham

      • Thai – Om Sukheenai-Boileau

      • Ukrainian – Inna Kovtun

      • Vietnamese – Huang Ta

• Additionally, several readers will share a favorite poem in their native language on the theme of love or peace:

  • • • Arabic – Mohammad Bader

      • Dari – Sabrina Ibrahimkhail

      • Hebrew – Mark Avsker

      • Pashto – Darwaish Zakhil

      • Urdu – Syed Qasim

Until Next Year: Building Stronger Bonds Through Connection, Love, and Peace!

Thank you so much for being a part of the Multicultural Celebration for Connection, Love, and Peace. Together, we created an incredible space for honoring our loved ones, sharing our cultures, and embracing the healing power of unity. Your presence and participation made all the difference, and we are grateful for each one of you.

As we close out this year's event, we look forward to continuing to build stronger bonds across our diverse community. Through connection, love, and peace, we are stronger together. This is just the beginning, and we hope to see you next year as we expand this celebration to include even more voices, cultures, and partners.

Until then, stay connected, stay peaceful, and keep spreading love in your community!

With heartfelt gratitude,

The Organizing Team