A school district director, two young people affiliated with youth organizations, a community-affairs manager, a faith leader, a police sergeant and a judge shared one public recognition in Savannah. The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire named them its 2026 Peacebuilder Award recipients at the fifth annual Peace in the Park, held Sept. 27 at Daffin Park.
WSAV’s report after the event described a free, family-friendly gathering with a Peace Walk, live entertainment, food trucks and the awards. The Mediation Center’s event page described the celebration as free and open to all ages. Its pre-event schedule set the awards for 3:10 p.m., the Peace Walk for 3:40 and a giant human peace-sign formation for 3:50. That sequence put recognition, shared movement and a visual symbol of unity into the afternoon’s plan.
The first three honorees represented education and youth programs. Dr. Quentina Miller-Fields, director of Student and Family Services for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, received the Legend Peacebuilder award. Howie Trotter, affiliated with Teen CERT, Savannah Youth Ambassadors, GenNEXT Teens and NAACP Youth, was named Youth Peacebuilder. Kavianna Sanetta Christine Aiken, affiliated with the ROX Program and Girl Scouts, received the Emerging Youth Peacebuilder award.
Four other awards recognized work across community, faith, public safety and government. Azsha Hankerson, Comcast’s government and community affairs manager, received the Community Peacebuilder award. Padre Pablo Migone of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah was named Faith Leader Peacebuilder. Sgt. Barry Lewis of the Savannah Police Department’s Community Engagement Division received the First Responder Peacebuilder award. Judge Lisa Goldwire Colbert of Chatham County Superior Court and the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia was recognized as Elected Official Peacebuilder.
The categories made the event’s theme, “Think Globally. Act Locally,” concrete. The honorees’ affiliations included a school district, youth organizations, a business, a church, law enforcement and the courts. The recognition brought those different parts of civic life into one program, while the Peace Walk and family activities invited the broader public to take part.
Before the gathering, WTOC spoke with event coordinator Kareem McMichael, who described Peace in the Park as a meeting point for people across generations and backgrounds. “You see kids, elders, newcomers and people who have come every year all together in one moment,” he told the station. WTOC reported the Center planned music, dance, food trucks, conversations and the annual walk as ways to bring the community together.
The Center’s announcement also previewed spoken-word performances, dancing, face painting, youth art and a resource fair. It described a collaborative peacebuilding idea board and “passing peace forward” activities, alongside the stage program. The event plan listed local performers including Temakha from Abundaverse, 912 Seaport Steppas, DEEP Center, Kim Gunn and Youth Singers, Wellness & Dance, and SCAD K-Pop Dance Club.
WSAV’s post-event report confirmed the gathering took place and named all seven recipients. It also included comments from executive director Dr. Aimee Bellmore about the Center’s interest in hearing what community members consider important. “That’s what peacebuilding is all about,” she told WSAV, describing dialogue and conversation as part of the work.
That work continues outside the annual event. The Mediation Center says it works in more than 35 schools, supports more than 2,000 court-related cases annually and engages more than 10,000 people through conflict-resolution training and services. It describes its year-round work as a combination of conflict resolution, restorative practices, youth programs and mediation.
WTOC reported that the Center was marking 40 years of service in 2026 and described youth programs that teach leadership, communication and conflict-resolution skills. Peace in the Park gave those ideas a public setting: an awards program recognizing local people, plus a free gathering where families could encounter the organization’s work and participate in activities together.
In Savannah, the day put locally rooted peacemaking in public view: through recognition of young people and established civic leaders, and a walk that invited neighbors to take part.
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