23-05-2025
Local museum promotes Dayton's role in international peace
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — As the NATO Parliamentary Assembly kicks off Thursday downtown, local organizations are commemorating Dayton's role in advancing peace worldwide.
The Dayton International Peace Museum has opened several exhibits to share Dayton's legacy with local residents and international visitors.
'Action starts here, and starts in Dayton,' said Alice Young-Basora, Dayton Peace Museum executive director.
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The 2025 NATO Spring Assembly is the first to be held in the country in 20 years, and it's happening right here in Dayton.
'It's something that everybody here is very proud of, that we were a part of stopping a war,' said Young-Basora. 'We were a part of creating peace in a region.'
It's been 30 years since the Dayton Peace Accords were signed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, effectively ending the Bosnian War. To commemorate the anniversary, Dayton was chosen to host this year's NATO Spring Assembly.
'We're hoping that they'll come to Dayton and be inspired by what we're doing here,' said Young-Basora. 'The messages that we have here in our walls and our rooms and our words, go home and share it.'
The Peace Museum is running several exhibits this month to educate and inspire.
'We've got the exhibit on NATO, we've also got our new anti-war gallery just opened up, and then we've got a photojournalist from Sarajevo,' said Young-Basora. 'He gave us access to a ton of his photos, which really, he lived there before, during and after the war.'
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The museum's goal is to change people's perspective on peace. Young-Basora says peace can be described as 'the absence of war,' but is much bigger than just that.
'Peace is knowing your neighbor and helping somebody and doing the things around us that other people maybe aren't doing, to make the world a better place,' said Young-Basora.
The Peace Museum will be closed from May 18 through May 28 due to the NATO Village. But the exhibits will be available for the next few months, giving you plenty of time to check them out.
Learn more by visiting the Peace Museum's website.
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