Peace: Remembering, Celebrating, Envisioning with My Friend Adele
On Sunday, August 8th at 2pm, there will be a special Remembrance and Celebration of Peace in Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia. Supporting global nuclear disarmament, people will gather from around the region to pause in memory of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 65 years ago. A peace pole, created by local artist AJ Wolff to include the word "Peace" in ten different languages will be installed beside the "Tree of Peace" that has long stood on the grounds of the Sautee Nacoochee Center, beside the outdoor stage. This event will also celebrate the nearly five decades that Adele Kushner has committed to working on peace, justice, and environmental issues.
The ceremony will begin at 2pm and will be held in the shade; attendees are encouraged to bring chairs. There will be live music and brief readings, with an eye to keeping short the time spent outdoors in the August heat. After the ceremony, there will be refreshments 
inside the main SNCA building and a facilitated roundtable discussion of participants' current thoughts, concerns, and ideas related to issues of peace, justice and the environment. Anyone who would like to bring simple, finger-food refreshments or beverages for the reception is welcome to do so - please take them to the SNCA conference room by 1:45pm.
Adele Kushner is pictured here with long-time friend and fellow NE Georgia Peace Council member Sarah Cook at the 24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr Peace Walk in Cornelia, GA in January of 2010.
Though she was born in New York in 1925, Kushner has lived most of her life in Georgia. Her parents, Anna and Louis Albert, moved the family to Pulaski (near Metter), GA in 1936 to run the general store there, which they did for nearly a quarter of a century.
Adele's activism began in Atlanta in the 1960's, based on the non-violence principles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. By then, she was a single mother of three daughters, working hard to support them all. Increasingly aware of the possibility of affecting issues of concern - nuclear, race, peace - Kushner stepped (quite literally) into the public arena.......and hasn't stopped walking, writing, and organizing since then. In fact, in her early 60's, Kushner spent two years walking across much of the USA and a number of countries in Europe to promote peace. A woman of both conviction and courage, she has even willingly been arrested for peacefully demonstrating with others on more than one occasion.
Regarding her experience walking for peace, Kushner writes of the challenges of learning to actually live the collaborative, peaceful message that they were promoting: "That was the beginning of the process for me, having to step outside myself to see what I was doing, how I was reacting, whether it was a positive or negative contribution. Not that the lesson was learned immediately -- it is never finishe
That openness and desire to keep on learning is one of the qualities that friends and colleagues have long appreciated about Adele. "She has strong opinions, based on years of research," says one fellow activist, "but she's always willing to listen - and always has a lot of questions!" A founding member of ACE - Action for a Clean Environment - and long-time member of the NE Georgia Peace Council, Kushner continued to live her commitment to peace and the well-being of the planet when she "retired" to the beautiful hills of NE Georgia where among other ongoing activities she serves on the board of directors for Nuclear Watch South.
Whatever one's image of a peace and environmental "activist" may be, Kushner is not likely to fit the bill. She's a spunky, nearly 85-year-old, loving mother and grandmother, and an artist who enjoys working in water colors and mosaics - some of which can be seen in galleries in the area. She's also authored a book entitled, Memoirs, and is a creative vegetarian cook. Most of all, she's a woman of integrity, heart, and passion - with a great sense of humor.
On Sunday, August 8th, many will gather to express thanks for Kushner's commitment to peace, justice, and the environment. Still an adventurer in life, continuing in the work that is so meaningful to her, she's one of those people about whom many have said, "When I grow old, I want to be like her!" -- Glenn Carroll
"It 's the strength that you share when you are growing." - J. Baez
(I am Less than the Song I am Singing)
© August 2010
