Peace Is an Active Choice: My Speech at the 17th Annual International Peace & Humanity Day
Updated: 6 days ago
Earlier this month on August 5, 2026, San Diego WISH hosted the 17th Annual International Peace & Humanity Day at the historic Yokohama Friendship Bell on Shelter Island in San Diego.
This annual gathering commemorates the 81st anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki under the guiding principle: "Remembering the past is committing ourselves to the future."
I had the honor of delivering a speech and sharing the stage with distinguished civic and community leaders, educators, and peace advocates.
Below is the full text of the speech I delivered during the ceremony:
Title: Peace is an Active Choice, Not a Passive Wish...
Greetings everyone,
Such a delight to join each and every one of you today as we honor the International Day of Peace and Humanity. Many thanks to the San Diego WISH who made this beautiful gathering possible.
In today's world that often feels divided, being here gives us an opportunity to pause... An opportunity to reflect on our shared humanity and to double down on our commitment to a more peaceful, connected world.
I come to this stage from a deeply personal place. As a first-generation immigrant who lived through eight years of war as a child, I know firsthand the true cost of war and the quiet heartbreak felt by innocent people when peace is shattered. Yet, those difficult years never erased my hope for humanity. They taught me a fundamental truth: Peace is an active choice, not a passive wish! We build peace day by day—through real human connection, compassionate leadership, seeing ourselves in one another, and having the courage to challenge our own blind spots.
Living in the beautiful city of San Diego, I see every day how building cross-cultural bridges and extending hands in friendship creates lasting peace through grassroots connection. That's what inspired me and my friend, Steven Sigafus, to launch the San Diego–Yokohama Leadership Academy (SYLA). SYLA is a leadership innovation ecosystem rooted in sister cities principles and people-to-people diplomacy. Our mission is to connect leaders and change-makers across sectors to bridge cultures, foster collaboration, and promote peace.
Finally, I believe meaningful transformation and visionary leadership do not begin with having all the answers—they begin with the courage to ask the right questions. So I leave you with these question:
How can we serve humanity through even the smallest actions?
How can we collaborate and innovate to solve our shared challenges?
How can we better ourselves to better our world?
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