A distinguished gathering of musicians and speakers will present the inaugural Witness For Peace concert, which has been re-scheduled to Sunday, June 12, from 12 to 3 p.m. . The concert will take place at New London’s Hempstead Houses, at 11 Hempstead Street, in conjunction with the annual Juneteenth Day Celebration held there.
The concert is being sponsored by St. Francis House and local members of Veterans For Peace, in support of the peace vigil which has been lead by Cal Robertson in New London for more than three decades. This event will honor the memory of the fallen with a pledge to work for a day when the specter of war will no longer stalk the living days of humankind. Also recognized will be the tragic reality of slavery, which often results from unsettled war in this, the 21st century.
The concert will be headlined Connecticut State Troubadour Lara Herscovitch and Hugh Birdsall, with more joining in. Speakers will include representatives of Veterans For Peace and the War Resisters League. Members of Veterans For Peace will be on hand with information about their work, including plans to establish a New London Division of Veterans For Peace.
The New London Peace Vigil is held five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., at the corner of Huntington and Broad Street. A vigil is also held on Thursday afternoons at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, led by Bob and Ronna Stuller. All are welcome and encouraged to join in.
Juneteenth is the annual celebration of the end of slavery in the State of Texas on June 13, 1865. The date also celebrates the end of slavery across America. The Hempstead Houses will host events, along with the Greater New London NAACP, on Saturday, June 11; there will also be a storytelling festival at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.
The concert is free to the public, and all are invited to enjoy the music while learning more about the peace vigil and other ongoing work for the cause of peace.
For further information, contact Mike Hatt at 860-574-6235 or [email protected] or visit the Facebook page @ Witness For Peace New London