Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Rally for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment!
Come and help celebrate the Golden anniversary of this community gathering. It will feature music from Brendan Mehot, Jeremy Kneeshaw, and Intensive Care, among others; speakers, face painting for kids and kids at heart; sign making; and, of course, all the sights, sounds and great tastes of the Kamloops Farmers’ Market! We will be walking around the downtown beginning at noon, so bring signs. There will also be materials available to make signs. This walk is part of the Jane’s Walk sponsored by the Propolis Society of Kamloops.
Why? We won’t change the world by gathering, but it is so important to build a community of caring, sharing, compassionate and forward-looking people. In these times of major challenges to our environment: natural, political, and social, we need to take a stand, to be a presence, to imagine better ways of moving forward. Grass-roots discussion can engage with and stimulate all of this.
As do Indigenous people, we need to take the long view and work towards a better world for our descendants.
We also need to take a larger view. George Johnson’s band, Intensive Care, has just released a new song and video, Turn Debt Into Hope, which they will be premiering at the Rally. Johnson wrote the song to support the world-wide call to cancel debt to the world’s poorest countries, that cannot even pay interest on these loans and must sacrifice education, health care, and environmental initiatives. In Canada, the movement is driven by KAIROS, and you can sign the petition here, if you haven’t already signed: https://kairoscanada.org/turn-debt-into-hope/petition-turn-debt-into-hope. The song tries to make the connection between debt cancellation and the environment, since about 3.3 billion people are living in countries so indebted that they cannot mitigate against climate change nor even think about developing more sustainable practices, even though they are not responsible for the vast majority of carbon emissions. We cannot achieve climate justice until these countries are freed from the burden of debt. Check out Turn Debt Into Hope here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMvO5VASBAw
Come and hear it and other inspiring songs and speeches. Meet friends and make new ones as you engage with the issues facing all of us today.
When: Saturday May 2nd, 10-12:30 am
Where: Kamloops Farmer’s Market, Stuart Wood School Grounds, 200 block of St. Paul St. Kamloops.
If you are able, please consider taking public transit, riding, or walking to this event.
Kamloops should be proud of this long-standing tradition. Peace everyone!
Transition Kamloops
Transition Kamloops is a volunteer-driven, registered not-for-profit society focused on increasing local resilience and self-sufficiency in food, water, energy, culture and wellness. We emphasize a local economy, healthy ecosystems, and grassroots community building, while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We believe in a better way: a community that sustains life in all its diversity, strives for equality and justice and invests in the future.
Transition Kamloops recognizes that we are living on Secwépemcul’ecw—land that was never ceded to settlers, and continues to be home to vibrant Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. We acknowledge the impact of colonization, forced displacement, and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous peoples. We commit to listening, learning, and building positive relationships with Indigenous communities as we work towards reconciliation.
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