"Miles for Peace" in New York

The Iranian cyclists of "Miles for Peace" arrived in New York on June 17th. On the 18th, I caught up with them at the site of the World Trade Center tragedy where they were gathering signatures on their peace banner.

As I arrived, I recognized the faint but distinct melody of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" blasting through an iPod on a hand-held speaker accessory. The group of eight or nine were busy smiling and shaking hands with curious passers-by. On the ground, there was a long cloth banner with various marked signatures and well-wishes.

Miles for Peace was conceived as an idea only late last year (Iranian Calendar) by the members of the group who were at the time volunteering for a Tehran based NGO charity organization by the name of Mercy for All.

Most of the members are college graduates. Some are still attending University. One, Mr. Kazemi, is a university lecturer in management. All deeply believe in the cause of peace and public service.

Mercy for All is an organization primarily focused on providing shelter and support for Iran's growing population of orphaned children. The group places orphan kids in home and discretely supports the participating families. Mr. Kazemi has one adopted child from the same program.

In this video, Ali explains the significance of their emblem to me.

World Trade Center
At Ground Zero