Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), is hosting the Ralph Bunche Centennial Concert and Community Peacemaker Awards, in honor of the Detroit native, on Oct. 25 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit. The concert and peacemaker awards will begin at 6 p.m. followed by a reception with visiting dignitaries at 8:30 p.m.

Ambassador Ronald Palmer, the first African American head of the U.S. Foreign Service, will serve as the event's keynote speaker. The concert includes performances by the Wayne State University Concert Chorale and the Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School Chorale. Musical selections include: "Cantata for the U.N.," "Mystery of Man" (early poetry of Pope John-Paul II set to jazz), and "Only the Brave," a civil rights tribute.

Peacemaker awards, recognizing Detroiters who have made a difference by promoting peace in the community, will also be presented. This year's recipients include: Eleanor Josaitis of Focus Hope; Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Huel Perkins of WJBK Fox 2; Kerry Moss of the ACLU of Michigan; Judge Claudia Morcom, formerly of the Wayne County Circuit Court and current member of the board of visitors for Wayne State's Merrill-Palmer Institute; and Rev. Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church.

Detroit, as one of four "legacy cities" hosting yearlong commemorative activities and events throughout the nation, is the birthplace of civil rights pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ralph Johnson Bunche. Following his birth on Aug. 7, 1903, Bunche spent his early childhood in Detroit, moving to Los Angeles in later years where he developed as a student and scholar earning a bachelor's degree from UCLA. He then completed a master's degree and Ph.D. at Harvard University and moved to Washington, D.C. where he organized and chaired the political science department at Howard University from 1929-1941.

His distinguished career as a scholar and activist continued while he served in the Office of Strategic Services, the State Department and the United Nations. In 1950 he became the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his success as United Nations Mediator bringing about the 1949 Rhodes armistices between Israel and its neighboring Arab states, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Bunche, who was also instrumental in African de-colonization, remained at the United Nations until his death in 1971.

For more information regarding the "Ralph Bunche Centennial Concert" and "Community Peacemaker Awards," call the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at (313) 577-3453. This event is open to the general public. A $5.00 donation is appreciated.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.