Raising a Peace Pole in Cottage Grove

by Marcia Veach, Cottage Grove, Oregon

In May 2020, the Bahá’ís in the South Willamette Valley (known in Bahá’í administrative circles as Cluster OR-14) hosted a local conference. It was one of hundreds of gatherings held worldwide, in response to a call from the Universal House of Justice. The call was for for Bahá’ís and our friends to make a unique effort to host conversations in every community, to examine how Baháʼu’lláh’s teachings provide a unique, unprecedented, and healthy foundation for addressing real problems in this (and every!) part of the world.

Friends seek to inspire social transformation

At that May conference, a smaller group of Bahá’ís and friends living in the small community of Cottage Grove decided to meet separately and study the conference materials systematically. The core group of five people chose to each lead a discussion on one of the themes, and by the fall, they were on the final theme: Contributing to social transformation.

At that point, they were ready to act.

The Bahá’í group was aware of the “Hiroshima Tree,” which the City of Cottage Grove had obtained and planted in Coiner Park, one of the major parks in town, about three years ago. The city eventually added some landscaping and benches around the tree, creating a kind of plaza. The Bahá’í group consulted about how they could enhance this space to encourage contemplation of the meaning associated with the tree. They hit upon the idea of building a ‘peace pole’ at the site. They went online to see what others had done, came up with a plan, and determined to build the pole and have it placed in the plaza.

The Bahá’ís and friends in Cottage Grove had all been active in the community for years or even decades, so they started by presenting their idea to the city council. The council responded enthusiastically, agreeing to take responsibility for putting in the slab foundation and a path from the sidewalk to the place where the tree currently stands, and the pole will be placed. Weyerhaeuser, a major employer in Cottage Grove, agreed to provide the pole itself, a four-sided steel structure approximately eight feet tall, with space on each face for interchangeable art and notices.

Rocks painted by community members

The Bahá’í group, now called the Peace Through Unity Committee, had also decided to surround the base of the pole with about 200 painted rocks. They started with a rock-painting booth at the annual Bohemia Mining Days fair in July. The plan was to have all the flags from countries and territories around the world represented on the rocks. As it turned out, that one event didn’t provide adequate time to complete the task, so they reached out to several community groups and individuals to assist with the rock painting. This turned out to be a great way to involve even more community members.

The goal was to have the pole and rocks ready for dedication on September 21, the International Day of Peace. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop the team from making plans for an International Peace Day celebration! Despite starting in late July, they were able to get the city on board, along with eight other local organizations besides the Bahá’ís. Among them was the Rotary Club, which took on the rock-painting booth.

More activities engage and prepare Cottage Grove

A banner was created and hung over the bandstand in the middle of Coiner Park and a wooden replica of the future peace pole was on hand, so everyone could get an idea of the concept. Awards and bouquets were presented to those community members who had long served as peace advocates, and the mayor shared her experiences interacting with people of many lands and cultures, acknowledging the need for unity in order to have peace. Several groups provided music, including one featuring the John Lennon song Imagine accompanied by two friends rhythmically signing the lyrics for the hearing impaired. About 200 people showed up in the park over the course of the three-hour event!

The manufacturing of the Peace Pole was completed shortly after the Peace Day celebration, but it still needed to be painted to fortify it against the Willamette Valley rains. This was done by Bahá’í team members. The team has currently put out a request for artwork to be displayed on the pole, though Peace through Unity in several different languages will be a permanent feature.

As soon as the city is ready to pour the concrete, the pole will be lifted into place, and an official dedication will be organized.

While the Cottage Grove Bahá’í team can be justly proud of the results of their year-long efforts, they aren’t stopping there. They are already planning for the Peace Day celebration to be an annual event.