A familiar billboard is making its appearance during January once again this year. Periodically, over the past sixteen years, the Blue Water Pax Christi organization has purchased billboards bearing the faces of internationally recognized peace advocates. For the past several years, they have included portraits of St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The message is one of non-violence, mercy, and justice.
The billboard project started in 2003 in response to the beginning of the Iraq war. They have had the current billboard for the past nine years. The local organization promotes a 64-day “Season of Non-Violence” that begins with the anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination and ends with the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pax Christi is an international organization that was started in France in 1945. The Blue Water branch was started in 2002 and while Catholic in its roots, it offers programs for the whole Blue Water community. The January billboards are paid for by donations from local church groups and community members. The billboards are digital this year and can be seen at multiple locations in the Port Huron area through the end of January.
Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.
