Peace is a monthly dialogue that allows teens from different cultures and faiths to learn about each other. Our program provides a safe, welcoming, open environment so participants can express their feelings about stereotypes and prejudice. Our goal is to create doors through which we can enter each other’s communities to nurture and sustain a Birmingham that values and welcomes people of different races, religions, creeds, nationalities, schools, genders, sexual orientations, immigration status, abilities, and cultural backgrounds.
Peace Birmingham was founded in January 1996 by Lois Cohen, Mark Gaines, and Bobbie Siegal as a project of Temple Emanu-El. It was created to provide a place for African-American and Jewish teens to get to know one another and become allies during the 1960s Civil Rights struggle. In 1998, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute joined as a sponsoring partner. In the fall of 2007, Peace was opened to welcome young people of all races and religions who sought to build relationships and confront prejudice. In the spring of 2013, the YWCA brought Peace Birmingham into its social justice program portfolio, with the commitment to carry on the program and build on Peace’s strong foundation.
For more information, please email peace@ywcabham.org.