The park is a living monument to and catalyst for inspiring the human spirit to seek out, begin and grow friendships through wondrous play, cooperative experiences and human interchange*, where cherished commonalities are celebrated, and those things unique to every race, culture and faith are discovered, explored and respected, to the end that friendships are celebrated, begin and flourish, making the world a safer and more joyful place.

Dr. JEFF BURNS – Recipients of our 6th Award

JEFF BURNS is a former Evangelical/Charismatic Christian minister of eighteen years.  Also, he is the former East Coast Director and Director of Coaching for Peace Catalyst International.  Dr. Burns served with Bridges to Common Ground and is currently on staff with Common Ground Consultants.  He intends to start his own non-profit called Pathways to Peace. Dr. Burns shares his peacemaking journey with Muslims in the U.S. and abroad in a series of popular stories that he has shared around the world in churches, mosques, and synagogues.

Jeff has been a peacemaker between the Muslim and Christian communities since 2005.  As an Evangelical/Charismatic pastor, his world got rocked, and he renounced Islamophobia after an encounter with a little Muslim child named Omar in a Starbucks coffee shop.  After that encounter with Omar, he became a peacemaker and friend to Muslims when he discovered the core message of Jesus; loving one’s neighbor.

We are proud to present him the Friendship Award.

CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI – Recipients of our 5th Award

CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI is an award-winning television producer, a public speaker, author, peace advocate, and a former violent extremist. Christian chronicles his involvement and exit from the early American white-supremacist skinhead movement in his memoir, WHITE AMERICAN YOUTH, and is the featured subject in season 3 of WBEZ’s ‘Motive’ podcast. He has helped hundreds of individuals disengage from hate, and leads the Free Radicals Project, a global extremism prevention network. He showcases his disengagement work in a second book, BREAKING HATE: Confronting the New Culture of Extremism, published in 2020 by Hachette Books, as well as the MSNBC documentary series of the same name. He is currently the host of the ‘F*** Your Racist History’ podcast, a weekly, scripted history show that tells America’s hidden, overlooked, and unknown racist origin stories. For more information click HERE.

We are proud to present him the Friendship Award.

Michael, Kristopher and Garrett – Recipients of our 2nd Award

IN THE FALL of 2019 three teenagers of Memphis, Tennessee made national and international news. This time it was not due to misdeeds or outrageous behavior such as is often chosen and highlighted by news outlets. These three formed a friendship that has warmed the hearts of millions. We celebrate Michael Todd, Kristopher Graham and Antwan Garrett.

All three are students from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School. Michael had become the target of derision and had received a lot of verbal abuse due to wearing the same clothes to school for several days. Kristopher was among those who teased Michael. His conscience began to nag at him that what he had participated in must have been devastating to Michael. He confessed his regret to Antwan and together they devised a plan to reach out in kindness and acceptance to Michael and make him a peace offering, to surprise Michael with brand new clothes. The three have been friends since that day. 

We are proud to present boys the Friendship Award.

DARYL DAVIS – Recipient of our 1st Award

NOW RESIDING IN Silver Spring, MD, Chicago native Daryl Davis graduated from Howard University with a degree in Jazz. As a pianist, vocalist and guitarist, he performs nationally and internationally with The Daryl Davis Band, he has also worked with such notables as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, The Legendary Blues Band and many others. While music is his fulltime profession, seeking to improve race relations nationwide, has become a fulltime obsession.

Davis has received the Elliott-Black and MLK awards as well as numerous other local and national awards for his work in race relations. He lectures nationwide and abroad on the topic.

We are proud to present him the Friendship Award.