There are people who talk about changing the world and there are those who actually do it. Artists for World Peace is an organization that is committed to the latter. The non-profit organization’s goal is simply and powerfully stated on its website:
We are artists and activists who promote peace by feeding, housing, educating and providing healthcare to the most vulnerable, lifting communities to a place of hope.
Through an impassioned idea to create a traveling Peace Belt, founder Wendy Black-Nasta created the organization. The Belt is comprised of 144 pieces of currency and gemston
es from around the world.
Since 2003, the Peace Belt has traveled to over twenty-five countries on five continents. It has been worn during hundreds of artistic performances, sacred ceremonies, and at peace and spiritual gatherings in New York (Ground Zero), South Korea, Haiti, Spain, Brazil, Tanzania, Canada, Egypt, Tonga, Scotland-the list goes on. Wherever the Peace Belt travels, dancers, artists, musicians, peace activists, and spiritual leaders meditate on and lend their voices to support peace. In this way, the belt becomes a living link between cultures and a symbol of peace and unity of all nations, of all people as one.
This year, Artists for World Peace will present its fifth annual Broadway fundraiser on October 11th at Joes’s Pub. Audience members will be treated to outstanding Broadway performers who will sing, dance, and tell stories to help children all over the world. This year’s performers include Dionne Figgins (Trip of Love, Motown, Memphis, Leap of Faith) and Daniel J. Watts (Whorl Inside A Loop, After Midnight, Motown, Memphis, Ghost, In the Heights).
Each performance will incorporate the traveling Peace Belt. Figgins and Watts will become a part of a fundraising performance and a special tradition with a foundation that has helped build schools, created safe houses for battered women and children, and sponsored the living and educational expenses of dozens of children. To whom much is given, much is required. It is inspiring to see such prestigious performers participate in giving back to the world. For more information on how to support this worthy cause, click here.
