Geneseo Peace Action joins annual peaceful toys rally

On Saturday, Dec. 3, Geneseo Peace Action participated in the Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP) rally for buying peaceful toys. The intentions of the event were publicized by GVCP in a flyer promoting the event:

“During this season of giving and fellowship Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace would like to thank all who promote peace through dialogue, kindness, tolerance, and justice. Might does not make right no matter who uses it. May we all renounce violence as something that causes more problems than it solves. This is as important as ever in this transitional time for the country we all care about.”

The event is one hosted annually by GVCP, a nonviolent activist group that began in May of 1972 to help bring an end to the Vietnam War and continues to fight for causes like nuclear disarmament and preventing U.S. intervention in countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Cuba. Geneseo Peace Action, a group “dedicated to empowering student advocates to take action on issues of peace and justice,” joined the rally alongside Rochester Chapter 23 Veterans for Peace to show their support for the purchasing of peaceful toys.

The Buy Peaceful Toys event ran from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Route 20A and Volunteer Road, allowing for great visibility from the many cars passing by. GVCP holds the event each year around the holidays to encourage the purchasing of peaceful, nonviolent toys as presents, rather than toys that insinuate violence, such as NERF guns, army men, or video games that feature violence. According to senior art history major and Geneseo Peace Action Vice President Mareasa Giudici, stuffed animals, putty, LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, kitchen sets, and ping pong are all examples of toys that might more peacefully replace more problematic ones.

Approximately a dozen supporters attended the rally, sporting signs that read “Teach Peace—Don’t Buy War Toys,” “Break the Cycle of Violence,” and “End Gun Violence.” Alongside these signs, participants brought peaceful toys like stuffed animals and were even joined by the man of the season, Santa Claus.

Unfortunately for the rally’s participants, the ralliers were met with heavy rain, sleet, and rather cold weather; however, the volunteers’ dedication to their cause kept them going through the full duration of the event.

“It was super rainy and cold, and that felt very empowering for what we were protesting for,” Giudici said. “We were very committed to what we were promoting, [so much so] that we were willing to do it rain or shine. And it was raining.”

Despite these obstacles, GVCP, Veterans for Peace, and Peace Action Geneseo showed up and showed out to stand for what they believe in. For more information about these organizations, check out their respective websites, and keep an eye out for more collaborative and local events on the Geneseo Peace Action Instagram, @peaceactiongeneseo.