The Rapid City Rushmore and Rapid City Rotary clubs recently installed a Peace Pole in the Rapid City Memorial Park at the site of the Berlin Wall memorial. The Peace Pole project started in 1955 in Japan after World War II. The pole is inscribed on each side, in different languages, with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
For the pole in Rapid City, the four languages are English, Lakota because of the strong Lakota culture, and Japanese and German because of the two Sister City relationships.
This world wide movement was formalized in 1986 and today, there are tens of thousands of Peace Poles around the world in nearly every country. The poles serve as a constant reminder of the importance of peace and the shared responsibility of working towards a harmonious world.
While Rotary works tirelessly to eradicate disease, provide clean water, promote literacy and improve local communities, that work is nullified if there is no peace.