Over 70 Global Leaders and Changemakers Gather for Virtual Launch of Reclaiming Respect

Historic Book Release Unites Voices from Six Continents in Call for Dignity-Centered Peacebuilding

October 16, 2025 

In a powerful demonstration that the hunger for healing transcends borders, more than 70 participants from across the globe gathered virtually yesterday for the launch of Reclaiming Respect: A Blueprint for Peace in a Divided World by Emanuel C. Perlman, Founder and CEO of Destination Peace International.

Spanning time zones from Hawaii to Bangladesh, the 57-minute premiere event brought together educators, parents, community leaders, peacebuilders, and concerned citizens who share a common conviction: that respect is not merely a social courtesy, but the essential foundation for lasting peace.

A Coalition Forged Across Divides

“After 50 years of peacebuilding across 46 countries, from former war zones to remote villages, from palaces to places of deep poverty, this book was born of one universal truth: Respect is the language every human heart understands,” Perlman told attendees in his opening remarks.

The event showcased some of the book’s extraordinary coalition of endorsers, luminaries representing diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives. Distinguished speakers included:

• Dr. Barry Sandrew: pioneering neuroscientist and inventor of 2D-to-3D conversion technology, with thirty-four patents bridging brain science and innovation.
• Dr. Allan Yozawitz: pioneering neuropsychologist whose research on bipolar disorder changed treatment for millions worldwide.
• Naila Chowdhury: global social impact leader working with the UN and G20, advocating women’s empowerment across continents.
• John Kiehl, Audio technology pioneer and co-founder of Award-Winning Soundtrack Studios of Boston and New York City. 
• Dr. Nicholas Beecroft: distinguished British military and organizational psychiatrist from the Royal College of Defense Studies, understanding leadership under the most extreme pressure
• Professor William Riley, a Master Voice Teacher & International Authority on Vocal Excellence. (video remarks)
• Dr. Everett Siegel, a Retired Johns Hopkin’s Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. (video remarks)
• Dr. Suresh Subramani, Dr. Suresh Subramani**Global Director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, using technology to fight disease and hunger who just last week was inducted into the American Academy of the Arts and Science. (video remarks)
• Chukwuma Okenwa, Headmaster, School Director transforming education in Enugu, proving that peacebuilding starts in classrooms.

Confronting the Hard Questions

The heart of the program featured a searching 14-minute interview conducted by Precious Amayo, esteemed anchor from the TVC Nigeria Television Network. Amayo pressed Perlman on the questions many are asking: Can you really respect someone whose views you find morally wrong? What about people who don’t deserve respect, dictators, abusers, and criminals?

Perlman’s responses, grounded in five decades of frontline peacebuilding, offered a framework that distinguishes between respecting the inherent worth of every human being and condoning harmful actions, a nuance critical to breaking cycles of dehumanization that fuel conflict.

The conversation also addressed parenting in “a culture that models contempt,” the political implications of respect-centered work, and what qualifies someone to write about peace in an age of polarization.

More Than a Book: A Movement Begins

“This is not just a book launch,” Perlman emphasized in his closing remarks. “It’s the beginning of a global movement to reclaim what we’ve lost.”

That vision was embodied in the event’s diverse global participation. Attendees joined from:

• 8:30 AM in Hawaii
• 11:30 AM on the U.S. West Coast
• 7:30 PM in Nigeria
• 8:30 PM across Switzerland, the UK, and the Netherlands
• 12:30 AM (October 17) in Bangladesh

The program concluded with a stirring performance by the Model Choir One True Voice, offering a moment of unity and hope befitting the book’s central message.

Who This Book Serves

Reclaiming Respect is written for what Perlman calls “anyone who refuses to accept that division is destiny,” parents raising children amid cultural cynicism, teachers reclaiming classrooms, leaders seeking to unite rather than divide, and anyone loving someone across a political or ideological chasm.

In his opening words, Perlman framed the stakes with clarity: “When we forget the sacred worth of every life, we get violence, hostage-taking, and divided communities. When we remember, when we reclaim respect, we get families healed, communities restored, and a world where everyone comes home.”

Looking Forward

As Precious Amayo reflected in her closing remarks, the convergence of voices at this launch from neuroscientists to community organizers, from Baltimore to Dhaka demonstrates that the principles in Reclaiming Respect resonate across every conceivable boundary.

For a world weary of shouting and hungry for a better way, October 16, 2025, may be remembered as the day a global conversation began, one grounded not in naive optimism, but in the field-tested conviction that every human being is too precious to be reduced to a position, too sacred to be weaponized, too valuable to be dismissed.

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For more information about Destination Peace International’s work, visit Destination Peace