Peace is Not a Monument - It is a Movement

Reflections following the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary

Over the last month, I have been reflecting on the words spoken by Nobel Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary. I have received a lot of blame for her participation in the event, and I have also received a lot of credit. One District Governor went so far as to disinvite me from her District Conference because she didn't like that I supported Tawakkol's right to speak the truth.

All of this got me thinking a lot about peace. This past Rotary year, under the leadership of Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick, EdD, peace was placed front and center in our global mission. Many Rotarians around the world participated in meaningful initiatives — perhaps most visibly through the planting of Peace Poles, symbols of our shared hope and commitment to a more peaceful world. These peace poles are a beautiful gesture — quiet monuments of intention, placed in our communities to remind us and others of Rotary’s values.  But as I sat in the plenary session at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, listening to Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman, I was struck by a powerful truth:

Peace is not passive. Peace is not symbolic. Peace is ACTION.

Tawakkol, who risked everything to fight for human rights and democracy in Yemen, didn’t mince words. She urged us not just to believe in peace, but to fight for it — to be upstanders, not bystanders. She reminded us that peace without justice is an illusion, and that if we as Rotarians are truly committed to building peace, we must be willing to confront injustice wherever it lives: in oppressive regimes, in broken systems, in racial inequality, in gender-based violence... in silence.

This call echoes the voices of so many other peacebuilders who’ve stood before us:

Malala Yousafzai, who stood up for girls’ right to education even when extremists tried to silence her.

Desmond Tutu, who taught us that reconciliation and truth-telling are fundamental to lasting peace.

Leymah Gbowee, who mobilized women across Liberia to end a brutal civil war — not with weapons, but with courage and unity.

Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and spent his life insisting that “neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”

These were not people of mere words or symbolism. They were people of relentless action. And as I looked at the Peace Poles being planted in communities around the world, I realized: it’s not enough. Not if we’re still turning away from injustice. Not if we’re silent about human rights abuses at home and abroad. Not if we’re unwilling to challenge systems that benefit us while oppressing others.

If Rotarians truly mean it when we say we are “People of Action,” then we must go beyond planting poles — and start planting justice. Start planting equity. Start planting bold, courageous conversations and difficult truths. We must advocate, educate, and mobilize. We must protect the vulnerable, speak up for the voiceless, and support peacebuilders everywhere.

Let the Peace Poles be more than decorations — let them be promises. Promises we live out, in our communities and in the world.

Because peace is not a monument. Peace is a movement.