Think globally, party locally
Pasadena celebrates United Nations Day on Saturday
By Jennifer Alfred 10/30/2008
In its 232-year history, the United States has spent relatively few years not involved in a war or some similar sort of violence.
Our latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have shaped the run-up to Tuesday’s presidential choice between two candidates with very different views on peace and how to obtain it.
But before that historic decision is made, Pasadena will celebrate United Nations Day — which commemorates the birth of the UN after World War II, as well as the organization’s accomplishments in bringing forward causes of peace, justice and equality — with a party and fundraiser for the United Nations Association of Pasadena.
The local UNA was formed in 1972, making it one of the first American chapters of what has become a global network of grassroots volunteer groups that support and educate others about United Nations programs and objectives.
In the spirit of global unity, Saturday’s gathering at Art Center College of Design’s Hillside Campus will be an intermingling of local and international food, music and art. It will also feature human rights and gender equality champion Jeanette Ndhlovu, Consul General of South Africa, as honorary keynote speaker.
“We are focused on thinking globally and acting locally. We are trying to show the ripple effect that one person can have around the world,” said Pasadena political activist Ralph McKnight, a UNA of Pasadena board member.
On top of its mission is to promote education and to help eradicate disease and hunger, Pasadena’s UNA is perhaps the leading chapter in the nation in terms of its efforts to promote environmental sustainability. In September 2006, Pasadena City Council members unanimously adopted The United Nations Green Cities Declaration and Urban Environmental Accords after UNA members worked with officials to tailor an Environmental Action Plan for the city.
Another recent achievement is involving local high school students in the Global Friends Program, which connects kids with pen pals in developing countries and encourages them to collect money and goods for those in need.
“The idea is that students collect items that we might throw away but are critical to children of other countries,” said Sherry Simpson-Dean, executive director of the UNA of Pasadena.
Teens such as Katie Miller, student president of Polytechnic High School’s Global Friends Club, have been an enormous help to those who need it, said Simpson-Dean. With earnings from her summer job, Miller helped purchase a large cargo container that will be used to ship all the goods that have been collected to families in Nigeria.
“The UNA has really been an addition to the education system. At meetings you can see young kids discussing international issues,” said McKnight, who once served as a United Nations air traffic control instructor in the Congo.
Saturday’s celebration is also an opportunity to learn about The Africa Channel, which will soon be providing news programming from Africa modeled after the work of the BBC.
Being part of the UNA, said Simpson-Dean, “is a wonderful window into other cultures.”
The United Nations Day celebration and fundraiser takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Art Center College of Design’s Hillside Campus, 1700 Lida St., Pasadena. Tickets are $75 or $50 for students. For more information, call (626) 449-1795 or visit unapasadena.org.
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