Dallas Peace Center to hold 22nd annual Peacemaker Awards

by Staff of of Dallas Peace Times

The Dallas Peace Center (DPC) hosts its 22nd annual Peacemaker Awards Dinner on Thursday, December 4, at the Double Tree Hotel at Midway and LBJ in Dallas, honoring Rev. L. Charles Stovall, Hope for Peace & Justice, Robert Dennis and Mavis Belisle for their diverse and successful efforts in promoting peace, justice and human rights. Radio personality Robert Ashley, of KHVN-AM will emcee the event.

“I am excited to see the diversity of honorees this year;” said Dallas Peace Center Board Chair Len Ellis. “Each was selected by the local community in recognition of their work and commitment to peace. These honorees have devoted their time and energy to service in helping to create a more just and peaceful community. They are a testament to the difference an individual or group can make in bringing about change in the world. We are all uplifted by their dedication and leadership.”

Rev. Stovall will receive the 2008 Peacemaker of the Year Award for a body of peace and justice work that spans several decades and continents. His strong and consistent demand for justice for the most marginalized in society have taken him to the voting booths of South Africa, where he monitored their first all-race election, and to the streets of South Dallas, where he has campaigned against police brutality and racial violence.

Hope for Peace & Justice will receive the Peacemaking Organization of the Year Award. Founded by the Cathedral of Hope in 2004, this organization assists progressive people of faith in applying their theology to social and political issues of the day. Headed by longtime activist Rev. Michael Piazza, H4PJ has campaigned for the living wage, against capital punishment and for a culture of peace.

Bob Dennis and Mavis Belisle will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Dennis, a conscientious objector in World War II and a past president of the Dallas Peace Center, is a valued resource on international politics and human rights. Dennis is a retired attorney.

Belisle, an Oak Cliff native, spent 17 years as director of the Peace Farm. Belisle, often single-handedly provides witness to the activities of the Pantex nuclear weapons assembly plant outside of Amarillo. She is known throughout Texas and national activist community as an authority on nuclear proliferation.

Tickets are available at different levels. For more information contact Trish Major at 214-823-7793 or admin@dallaspeacecenter.org . To purchase tickets online, visit www.dallaspeacecenter.org/PAD/2008.