Peaceful change was celebrated by more than 100 people at Queen Elizabeth Park at an event hosted by the community group Imagine Bermuda.The gathering yesterday marked the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Theatre Boycott, which was launched by the Progressive Group and which led to the Island’s desegregation.It also celebrated the legacy of former South African president Nelson Mandela, now critically ill in hospital.Songs of peace and harmony were sung and persons who attended formed a peace circle and held hands.Imagine Bermuda member Ron Lightbourne said: “One of the things we are looking to promote is a more complete unification of our diverse society, in a peaceful way, and we see that because there are all kind of people here, age wise, ethnic wise. We want to put in people’s minds that people working together can affect change, and that change is what we are celebrating. We are a community together, and we can exist in a peaceful, harmonious way.”Premier Craig Cannonier didn’t attend the event but later issued a press release in which he said: “On behalf of the people and Government of Bermuda, we extend our support for this initiative to celebrate a defining moment in Bermuda’s history — the Theatre Boycott of 1959: a movement that saw the end of formalised social segregation.“As Bermuda continues to face challenges, we as a people are creating a more racially harmonious society for all our citizens. We join you in embracing that same spirit of determination and commitment to overcome the barriers that we face today in pursuit of an even better Bermuda. History has proven that together it can be done.”Imagine’s Glenn Fubler said the group’s message of peace should specifically resonate with the youth.“I think it went well. For us, it’s about the young people, that’s really important. It’s about the removal of barriers that are in place where some of our young people aren’t able to travel to different parts of the Island,” he said. “We knew the numbers might not be as round as we were hopping for, but our hope is that it allows people to recognise the importance of civil society.”It was important to draw the parallel between Mr Mandela and the Theatre Boycott of 1959, Mr Fubler added.“The challenges we have today need to be addressed. This is about encouraging the evolvement of the community. When we originally planned it the situation of Nelson Mandela wasn’t in our minds, but it was natural to link it together with our event. The members of the Progressive Group were in many ways peers to Mandela, there is a parallel between them and that showed in the interaction between everyone today. Interaction was the indicator, not necessarily to have people come and listen, but to have interaction among the group. The younger people were encouraged by this and lessons were learned.”