In hopes of promoting peace in the community and the world, Rapid City Rotary clubs will dedicate a Peace Pole in Memorial Park at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Peace Poles are upright posts with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” written in a different language on each side. The Peace Pole in Memorial Park proclaims that message in English, Lakota, German and Japanese.
Members of the Rapid City and Rapid City Rushmore Rotary clubs, which sponsored the project, said Lakota was chosen to honor the indigenous population, while German and Japanese were chosen in recognition of Rapid City’s Sister Cities: Apolda, Germany, and Nikko City, Japan.
“Rotary’s commitment to peace is central to our identity,” said Bruce Nearhood, Rotary District 5610 Governor. “The Peace Pole stands as a testament to our ongoing effort and reflects our belief that peace is achievable through dedication, collaboration and mutual respect.”
Representatives from the local Lakota community and from Rapid City’s Sister City groups will attend the dedication, which is being held in conjunction with Rotary District 5610’s annual conference. The Peace Pole is located near the Berlin Wall in Memorial Park.
Peace Poles are meant to remind us all to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony. The Peace Pole Project grew out of a movement that began in Japan in the 1970s. There are now more than 200,000 Peace Poles in the world, including at least one on every continent.