Marquette Center for Peacemaking

Center for Peacemaking Spring 2013 Calendar of Events

Spring Retreat: Finding Our Place In the Web of Life

April 13 l 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. l AMU Chapel of the Holy Family

New discoveries of the vastness of the universe have reshaped our sense of place and purpose as humans living on this one small planet in one of billions of galaxies. From the first "Flaring Forth," a monumental act of creation has been taking place through everything-including us.

At the same time as we make these discoveries, we are encountering ecological crises across our planet that are threatening the future of life, and they, too are becoming our teachers, revealing us to ourselves.

We will explore these dynamics and what they tell us about this moment of transition, the implications for the journey of faith and how we see the meaning and mission of the human at this point in time. All creation is one community where everything is connected to everything else. In our search together, we will explore the implications of that truth in our own lives and the witness of our communities.

Margaret Swedish was director of the Religious Task Force on Central America and Mexico in Washington D.C. (1981-2004), a national organization founded by Catholic religious leaders that addresesed issues of human rights and U.S. military economic policy in the region. Since 2006, her work has been focused on the ecological crises now confronting humanity, offering presentations, workshops and retreats through her project. Her book, "Living Beyond the 'End of the World:' A Spirituality of Hope," published by Orbis Books (2008), addresses connections amoung the various environmental, economic and cultural trends that are leading towards ecological collapse.

The retreat is sponsored by Catholics for Peace and Justice and the Center for Peacemaking. To register, visit Catholics for Peace and Justice. Contact Jim Gill for more information via email or at (262) 547-6555 ext. 306. There is no charge, but free-will offerings will be accepted. There will be a one-hour break at noon for participants to get lunch on their own.

Teaching About/for Ambivalent Forgiveness in Troubled Societies

April 16 l 3:00 p.m. l AMU 157

Dr. Michalinos Zembylas will share his reflection on a vignette of ethnographic research on forgiveness in a troubled society-his home country of Cyprus. The vignette will highlight the complexity of forgiveness and provide a specific instance where traditional models of interpersonal forgiveness may fail or, at the very least, need to be expanded to account for the socio-political or inter-group dynamics. The presentation ends with a discussion of the pedagogical implications of the notion of ambivalent forgiveness for troubled societies.

Dr. Michalinos Zembylas is a professor of education at the Open University of Cyprus. He is researching how politics influence social justice, peace, citizenship and intercultural education. He has written five books and has explored different topics relating to the role emotion in education.

This event is co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace, College of Education and Office of International Education.

Spring 2013 Events Held:

Scribe of Social Conscience: Steinbeck Plus Seventy-Five

March 25 l 7:00 p.m. l AMU Ballroom D

Three-quarters of a century after the publication of "the great American novella" Of Mice and Men (1937) and the epic Depression-era protest novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), we'll take a fresh look at both of these masterpieces, along with three other books by John Steinbeck: East of Eden, Cannery Row and Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Author-actor-educator Paul McComas presents dramatic readings from all five classics, as well as providing analysis of the Salinas, California native's work, particularly Steinbeck's status as a master chronicler of-and avid advocate for-"the have-nots." Also included: a performance of Bruce Springsteen's stirring Wrath-inspired song "The Ghost of Tom Joad." With his unflagging insistence that each of us is, indeed must be, our brothers' and our sisters' keepers, Steinbeck 75 years later could hardly be more timely...or more necessary.

Milwaukee native Paul McComas is the author of four acclaimed books: two novels, Planet of the Dates and Unplugged, and two short-story collections, Unforgettable (a Silver Prize-winner at 2012's Midwest Book Awards) and Twenty Questions. Since 1988, he's taught writing, literature, and film, winning awards from National-Louis and Northwestern Universities. A recipient of the Mental Health Association's Distinguished Service Award, he serves on the National Leadership Council of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) as well as on its Speakers' Bureau. He and his wife Heather, a fellow fiction writer, live in Evanston, IL.

CANCELLED: Reconciliation: Framework for Peace

February 27 l CANCELLED

Unfortunately, Dr. Khalil Dokhanchi is not able to get to Milwaukee today due to the weather. We apologize for any inconvenience.

For more information, go to www.marquette.edu/peacemaking or call (414) 288-8444.

Forgiving the Unforgivable: 'Fambul Tok" and Community Healing

January 31 l 7:00 p.m. l AMU 252

Libby Hoffman co-founded Fambul Tok International (Krio for "Family Talk"). This organization emerged in Sierra Leone as a face-to-face community-owned program bringing together perpetrators and victims of the violence in Sierra Leone. It provides citizens with an opportunity to come to terms with that happened during the war, to talk, to heal, and to chart a new path forward. Hoffman will show the epilogue to the documentary "Fambul Tok" and discuss the role of reconciliation, forgiveness, nonviolence, and restorative justice in peacemaking.

Hoffman has been active in peace building for over 25 years in a variety of capacities - professors, trainer, facilitator, program director, consultant and funder. She has developed and led conflict resolution training programs in corporate, congregational, educational and community settings. She is President and Founder of Catalyst for Peace and a speaker at TedxDirigo.

Fall 2012 Events Held:

2 Million Friends for Human Rights Day

December 10 l 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. l AMU 252

December 10th marks the 64th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by all members of the United Nations in 1948. The draft committee, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, created the document as a result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict to happen again. The Declaration is regarded as one of the most significant accomplishments of the international body.

The spotlight of this year's Human Rights Day is on the rights of all people to make their voices heard in public life and to be included in political decision-making.

The Center for Peacemaking is joining 2 Million Friends for Peace in Afghanistan by hosting an open house. There will be a Skype connection at 10:30 a.m. with a peace delegation in Kabul, Afghanistan that includes several Marquette alumni. Throughout the day, there will be displays and discussions. At 3:00 p.m., Fr. Simon Harak, S.J. will lead a prayer vigil that will be followed by a closing discussion.

Peace Action Wisconsin will set up a table to take collections for the Vets for Peace "Never Homeless" initiative. The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee will be participating.

We hope you'll stop by. Contact the Center for Peacemaking via email or phone (414) 288.8444 for more information.

School of the Americas Vigil

November 15-18 l Columbus, Georgia

The School of the Americas (SOA) and Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Operation (WHINSEC) has trained over 64,000 Latin American soldiers. Graduates of the school have been consistently linked to human rights violations including the assassination of six Jesuit priests and to the suppression of popular movements in the Americas.

Students and staff of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking (CFP) will be in Columbus, GA to join with thousands of other peacemakers for the Vigil and the Nonviolent Direct Action to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC.

The weekend will include a teach-in, nonviolent direct action training, workshops, benefit concert, puppet show and a vigil at the gates of Ft. Benning. Students and friends of the CFP interested in traveling to the School of the America's Vigil should contact the Center for Peacemaking.

Student Peacemaking Fellowships

November 7 l 7:00 p.m. l Office of International Education (OIE), Holthusen Hall-4th Floor

Each year the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking awards nearly $16,000 in Szymczak Peacemaking Fellowships. These $200 to $2,000 grants allow Marquette students to actively work for peace and explore nonviolence. At the end of their experience, the peacemakers present their discoveries to the community and invite students to apply for their own fellowships. Past peacemaking fellows have:

• created a documentary on racism in Kirkwood, Missouri
• established a virtual community between students in South African segregated townships with Milwaukee's inner-city students
• examined how nonviolence is being used to transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• worked to alleviate interethnic tensions and HIV stigma in Voi Kenya by establishing a peacemaking library and creating discussion groups for orphans to work nonviolently through their struggles
• examined the role public art plays in reconciliation in Northern Ireland

Join us to learn about the work of the 2011-2012 Szymczak Peacemaking Fellows and how to become a 2012-2013 fellow.

Rynne Research Presentation & Information Session

November 2 l 1:00 p.m. l Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) Room 254

The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking awards two research grants up to $2,500 for Marquette faculty and administrators to advance research on an aspect of nonviolent peacemaking. The awards are intended to fund work for a two-month period during the summer. Applicants are encouraged to submit a research proposal of their choice or a topic in one of the Center's research areas.

Dr. Theresa Tobin, Associate Professor of Philosophy, will report on her research.

Nonviolence in Afghanistan

October 15 l 7:00 p.m. l Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) Room 227

October 6th marks the 11th anniversary of the American invasion of Afghanistan. The immense toll this conflict has taken of the American and Afghan people is apparent. There have been over 23,000 people killed in Afghanistan in the last ten years, of those more than 2,100 were American troops. The majority of the other victims of this conflict were Afghan civilians. Sadly, but not surprisingly - since violence begets violence - Afghan, American, and UN officials are pedicting increased violence in the future.

Patrick Kennelly, associate director of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking, will provide a concise history of Afghanistan during the last thirty years, an overview of peacemaking efforts in Afghanistan, and facilitate a discussion on what we can do to bring about an end to this war. Kennelly has traveled to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 to research how Afghans are using nonviolent solutions to resolve the conflict in their country.

Men and Women For Others: Exploring Social Justice Leadership with Author and Social Justice Activist Tim Wise

October 11 l 7:00 p.m. l Weasler Auditorium

Activist Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States who lectures and trains on many social justice topics including issues of comparative racism, race and education, racism and religion and racism in the labor market.

This lecture will explore how to better understand our leadership roles in dismantling oppression and promoting includsion in our communities.

The Pakistan That I Know

September 23 l 6:00-9:00 p.m. l Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) Ballrooms

Pakistan is often misunderstood in the media due to the complexity of USA-Pakistan relationship. Many times people have limited knowledge about Pakistan and Pakistanis in America leading to negative stereotyping. THis event is an interactive panel discussion featuring three speakers who will share their experiences living and working in Pakistan. The panelists will focus on major social and development issues facing Pakistan as well as ideas on how to promote peace by connecting American and Pakistani communities.

The panelists are Ethan Casey, journalist and author of Alive and Well in Pakistan and Overtaken by Events, M. Salahuddin Khan, author of Sikander, entrepreneur and aeronautical engineer and Rachel Williams, Rotarian, who has received many awards for her work in Pakistan.

This event is co-sponsored by the Pakistan Physicians Society of Wisconsin and the Human Development Foundation.

Please RSVP by Monday, September 17, 2012 to Ariba Khan at aklahore@hotmail.com. A $15.00 donation is suggested.

Past Events by Year:

2011-2012 l 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08