Peace Day Global Broadcast Features Celebrity Peace Messages from Michael Douglas, Ringo Starr, Jane Goodall and More
United Nations International Day of Peace — September 21, 2017
Peace has never been more important than right now. With the racially charged tragedy in Charlottesville and the escalating tensions with North Korea, Russia, and Afghanistan, people are searching for peaceful solutions to complex issues.
This year’s PEACE DAY GLOBAL BROADCAST will help millions around the globe focus on peace with a curated video marathon featuring peace messages from Michael Douglas, Ringo Starr, Jane Goodall, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. The 24-hour broadcast can be viewed by clicking here or here.
The broadcast starts at 12:01am, the morning of September 21, 2017 — the United Nations International Day of Peace, popularly known as Peace Day. The 24-hour broadcast will be repeated each day, concluding on September 24 at 11:59 PM.
Other newsmakers featured include:
- Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General
- Shakira, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
- Pharrell Williams, UN Ambassador for the International Day of Happiness
- Katy Perry, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
- Leonardo DiCaprio, UN Messenger of Peace
Now in its ninth year, the Peace Day Global Broadcast is produced by the Unity Foundation in partnership with Peace Channel. It is the first broadcast produced specifically for distribution on the United Nations website for the International Day of Peace, with video content produced by the United Nations and its agencies.
This year’s broadcast will be hosted by veteran journalist and TV host Tina Marie Tyler. She is the first African-American woman to host this special. “To help heal the growing racial and gender divide in the US, we wanted this year’s broadcast to reflect inclusion and multicultural balance,” said Dr. Darlene Shelton, show producer and founder of Peace Channel. “Tina’s efforts as a community activist and champion for healthcare equality made her an easy choice.”
The Peace Day Global Broadcast is the brainchild of human rights activist Bill McCarthy, founder and president of the Unity Foundation, who has advocated for the United Nations since 1984. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama recognized him for lifetime achievement in global unity. “We’re trying to reach as many people as possible with a simple message,” McCarthy explained. “Peace is more than the absence of war. It’s a positive feeling that is a basic right of every human being.”
Peace Channel executive producer and co-founder David Weinberg, Esq., has spent much of his career promoting peace and social justice. “Peace is everyone’s responsibility,” he says. “Watch our broadcast. Help get the word out. Post your own peace message videos to our Facebook page by clicking here, on Twitter by clicking here, and use the hashtags #peacechannel, #peaceday and #togetherforpeace. Peace needs to go from one day to every day. You can rediscover the best of humanity on Peace Channel any time, all the time.”
About Unity Foundation
Unity Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with a 40-year history of promoting peace, cooperation and unity throughout the world through music and media events. Unity Foundation President Bill McCarthy and Vice President Laurien Towers are the founders and executive producers of the annual Peace Day Global Broadcast. In 1975, inspired by a Jefferson Starship lyric, aspiring rock singer Bill McCarthy launched Unity Foundation with a benefit concert headlined by Jefferson Starship and the Grateful Dead that united 45 disparate community organizations. Contributions to Unity Foundation are tax deductible through the fiscal sponsorship of the Peace Development Fund.
About Peace Channel
Peace Channel curates the best of YouTube programming and produces original videos to present peace as a positive experience that begins within each of us. In 2014, media psychologist Dr. Darlene Shelton and attorney David Weinberg, a community peace advocate, introduced PeaceChannel.com as a digital platform streaming the best of humanity. Blending entertaining performances, empowering views on peace and prosperity, and encouraging news about individuals solving humanity’s greatest challenges, Peace Channel helps viewers journey to a world of peace, prosperity and positive action. Contributions to Peace Channel are tax deductible through the fiscal sponsorship of the Peace Development Fund.
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This article appears in: 2017 Catalyst, Issue 19: The International Day of Peace