Dignity Village Receives National Recognition

Congratulations to the residents of Dignity Village! On Saturday, July 27th, they became first recipient of the Waking Planet New World Flag. The Waking Planet New World Flag represents a world of peace and harmony based on the recognition of the inherent dignity and worth of, every person on the planet!

Waking Planet recognized the people of Dignity Village for their living example of a respectful, caring and sustainable community. The flag was accepted on behalf of the community by Tafari, Dignity Village chairman, and Ibrahim Mubarak, secretary and spokesman.

Barbara Upton, who conceived the Waking Planet New World Flag in the aftermath of 9/11, explained that the flag is about remembering that at essence we are one people, sharing one small planet, with one future. The flag depicts a world of harmony and peace, where every individual is valued and respected for his or her inherent dignity. The colored figures on the flag remind us that it is only when people stand in equal relationship to one another that humanity's true brilliance shines. The sun below represents the dawning of a new era and the moon above reminds us that life is cyclical and that every crisis creates an opportunity of equal intensity.

Barabara Upton's message at the presentation ceremony opened with the following: "I believe that you, the people of Dignity Village have designed a grand experiment for humanity's next step in higher consciousness! I think we are reaching a point in our evolution where we can replace fear, divisiveness, anger and aggression with love, communication, cooperation and caring. Our very survival as a species depends on us making this shift! And you, the people of Dignity Village are -- the inspiration for the rest of us!"

Dignity's web site is http://dignityvillage.org and the website of Waking Planet is www.wakingplanet.com