Primatologist and human and animal rights activist Jane Goodall met with a small circle of book industry professionals, staff of the Jane Goodall Institute, and other friends and associates at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City on September 21 to celebrate the publication of her A Prayer for World Peace (minedition). The date of the gathering could not have been more appropriate, as it was World Peace Day, which is held in tandem with the United Nation’s General Assembly’s annual session in New York City. Earlier in the day, Goodall, a UN Messenger of Peace, attended the Peace Bell Ceremony and the International Day of Peace Student videoconference at UN headquarters.
Before speaking, Goodall ushered the group out to the deck of the penthouse room to observe the Giant Peace Dove puppet circling the Manhattan streets 16 floors below in recognition of World Peace Day. The puppet was provided by the Jane Goodall Institute, which encourages individuals and communities worldwide to fly their own peace doves in a show of global solidarity each September 21.
Goodall and her longtime publisher Michael Neugebauer, owner of minedition, shared some opening remarks and led a toast, with Neugebauer declaring that “Peace Day should be every day.” Goodall added that “we must include animals in the environment in our prayer for peace,” a sentiment echoed in her newest picture book, which she declared is “a family book,” for adults to read along with their children. As Neugebauer briefly discussed, the book, which is illustrated by Iranian artist Feeroozeh Golmohammadi (her images were also on display at the event), addresses issues of world poverty, prostitution, and slavery, in addition to the suffering of animals through human impact. It was important to both Goodall and Neugebauer that the book did not shy away from such difficult themes.
Holding a well-loved stuffed animal – Cow – whom she calls a “spokesperson for abused farm animals” and her frequent traveling companion, Goodall spoke about how the nondenominational prayer that she wrote for the book presents an “inclusive” and holistic vision about all species. She discussed the cycle of destruction resulting from overconsumption of beef, including the desecration of forestland, cattle’s increased production of methane, and the rising levels of antibiotics in cows being consumed by humans – which will eventually lead to antibiotic resistance.
For Goodall, “This has been a very difficult Peace Day because there is much fighting in the world.” She added that “during times like these, we must think to examples of courage and compassion.” She frequently sees these attributes in the children and teenagers who are involved in her Roots and Shoots organization, which aims to empower young people to become active in their communities. The seeds of the group were planted in 199 1in Tanzania, where Goodall listened to the concerns of 12 teenagers interested in taking action. Today, the organization has more than 150,000 members and projects are taking place in 130 countries.
Goodall also noted that, while the upheaval suffered by Syrians today casts a shadow over Peace Day, more countries are opening themselves up to refugees. She also spoke about the power of photography and art, and its ability to personalize brutality and ignite a humanitarian response. Specifically, she mentioned the photograph of drowned three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, whose tragic image “went viscerally into people.” In closing, she wished for the young people in the world to have “strength, courage, and never give up,” striving for peace and a better world for both people and animals, adding, “We do have time, but we have to act now.”
