PEACE EXPERTS GATHER AT DEPARTMENT OF PEACE CONFERENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 29, 2007 -- ACTIVITY: 5th Department of Peace Conference 2007
DATES: February 3rd to February 5th, 2007
VENUE: WESTIN ARLINGTON GATEWAY HOTEL, 801 NORTH GLEBE ROAD, ARLINGTON, VA
and
George Washington University Lisner Auditorium on February 5th

The Peace Alliance, a national citizen activist organization spearheading the grassroots Department of Peace movement, is sponsoring the Conference. The Conference kicks off on Saturday, February 3rd, and will train, coach, and educate participants from around the country in practical techniques of peacemaking, peace-building and lobbying. Participants will immediately use their new training when they visit their respective elected officials the following Monday and Tuesday to urge support of the legislation.

This year, speaking to the theme of �Wage Peace,� will be an inspiring line-up of peacemakers, including: Deepak Chopra, best-selling author and prominent leader in the field of mind body medicine; Marianne Williamson, radio show host on Oprah and Friends and is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer on spiritual, personal and political issues; Reverend Michael Beckwith, co-founder of the Association for Global New Thought; Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson and founder of the Nicole Brown Foundation; and several members of Congress, among them Keith Ellison (D-MN), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who plans to reintroduce the bill into the 110th Congress on February 5th. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress. More participating members of Congress will be announced soon.

Sunday�s program features a powerful group of some of the leading experts on peacemaking and peace building, including: Frances Henry, creator and coordinator of the Global Violence Prevention Advocacy, who has organized scientists and violence prevention practioners to address violence toward children and youth; Lisa Schirch, associate professor of Peace Building at Eastern Mennonite University, who specializes in alternative security strategies; and Tricia Jones, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at Temple University, distinguished by her work in developing conflict education curricula for students in grades K-12.

The Conference ends Monday night with the gala event, �Turning Peace into Political Power,� at the George Washington Lisner Auditorium. Hosted by Ms. Williamson, the audience will celebrate the bill�s reintroduction with speeches by members of Congress, followed by a special guest appearance by Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe Award winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, and a special performance by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. This unique and powerful night of music and motivation is open to the public. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, www.lisner.org or at The Peace Alliance website, www.thepeacealliance.org.

For more information about the Conference, the legislation or The Peace Alliance, please visit http://www.thepeacealliance.org