Past Events

"Truth-telling, Racial Justice and Healing in the United States"
Fania E. Davis, PhD, JD

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
5pm
McGuire Hall West

Fania E. Davis is a leading national voice on restorative justice. She is a long-time social justice activist, civil rights trial attorney, restorative justice practitioner, writer, professor and scholar with a PhD in Indigenous Knowledge. She came of age in Birmingham, Alabama, during the social ferment of the civil rights era; the murder of two close childhood friends in the 1963 Sunday School bombing crystallized within her a passionate commitment to social transformation. For the next decades, she was active in the Civil Rights, Black liberation, women’s, prisoners’, peace, anti-racial violence and anti-apartheid movements. Studying with indigenous healers, particularly in Africa, catalyzed her search for a healing justice, ultimately leading her to bring restorative justice to Oakland, California. Founding Director of Restorative Justice of Oakland Youth (RJOY), her numerous honors include the Ubuntu award for service to humanity, the Dennis Maloney Award for excellence in Youth Restorative Justice, World Trust’s Healing Justice award, the Tikkun (Repair the World) award, the Ella Baker/Septima Clark Award, the Bioneer’s Changemaker Award, and the Ebony POWER 100 award. She is a Woodrow Wilson fellow, and the Los Angeles Times named her a New Civil Rights Leader of the 21st Century

"The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church"
Rachel Swarns

March 21, 2024
6 pm
McGuire Hall West

Rachel L. Swarns is an acclaimed journalist, author, and NYU professor who investigates the history of American slavery, examining how we live with this history and how it shapes who we are today. Through her critically acclaimed books and inspiring talks, she challenges us to work to overcome the legacy of racial injustice in our churches, schools, and communities. Rachel’s most recent book, The 272, tells the story of the nearly 300 enslaved people who were sold by a group of America’s most prominent Catholic priests in order to fund what would become Georgetown University. Rachel follows one family through almost two centuries of enslavement, uncovering not only the stories of these forgotten people, but also how the legacy of the slave trade still shapes our institutions—from banks to universities—today. Her work has been recognized and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, the Leon Levy Center for Biography, the Biographers International Organization, the MacDowell artist residency program, and others. In 2023, she was elected to the Society of American Historians. She has appeared on numerous national programs, including NPR, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and CBS This Morning.

“Surviving the Bosnian Genocide: Lessons from Srebrenica”
Hasan Hasanović

February 8, 2024
6 pm
Andrew White Student Center, 4th floor program room

Hasan Hasanović was born in Bajina Bašta, Serbia. He was 19 when the town of Srebrenica fell to Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995. He endured a 100 kilometer march through hostile terrain to escape the massacre of approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys. Hasan was one of only 3,500 who survived the march. His father and brother were found in mass graves excavated by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). After the war, Hasan worked as an interpreter for the US army. He then gained a degree in Criminal Sciences, and returned to live in Srebrenica in 2009. Hasan is now married and has a young daughter. He works as a Curator at the Memorial Centre, where he shares his story with visitors from all over the world on a daily basis. He sees this as both his duty to those who were murdered and a cathartic experience for himself. ‘I want to speak to people, and share my story because my heart speaks. And now, finally, someone is listening.’

"Pathways to Peace in Israel-Palestine: Lessons Learned"
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, PhD

Thursday, November 16
5 pm
McGuire Hall West

Dr. Mohamed Abu-Nimer is a full professor, and the inaugural Abdul Azis Said Endowed Chair for Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University. He is a founder of the Salam Institute and a member of the Nonviolence International Board of Directors. He is the author of 13 books including Islam and Nonviolence, and is a global authority on interfaith dialogue. While his research has focused on a wide array of areas in peacebuilding and conflict resolution, his most recent areas of focus have included faith-based peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue in peacebuilding and building social cohesion, and pedagogical considerations on incorporating peace and forgiveness education in the Arab world and Muslim world. In addition to his research and teaching in the areas of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, Dr. Abu-Nimer has conducted interreligious conflict resolution training and interfaith dialogue workshops in conflict areas around the world, such as in, Egypt, Northern Ireland, the Philippines (Mindanao), Israel, Palestine, Chad, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. He has a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, an MA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a BA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 

"Poems of Resistance and Resilience"
Teri Ellen Cross Davis

Monday, November 13, 2023
6:30 pm
4th Floor Program Room

Teri Ellen Cross Davis is a prize-winning poet and literary activist whose dynamic verse pays tribute to the haunting legacies of an ancestral past and the challenges of living in 21st century America. She is the author of a more perfect Union (2021), winner of The Journal/Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize, and Haint (2016), winner of the Ohioana Book Award for Poetry. She has described her recent book, A More Perfect Union, as a “love letter to America” and to the “American citizen…who sees something greater in the is country and knows how deeply it is flawed in its failings to live up to the ideals it presents to the rest of the world.” Whether she is reflecting on the rewards of global travel, the challenges of adolescence, motherhood, and family life, Davis’s voice is unforgettable in its celebration of love’s uplifting power. Teri Ellen Cross Davis won the Poetry Society of America’s Robert H. Winner Memorial prize. She is a Cave Canem fellow and a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective. She is the. O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Curator and Poetry Programs manager for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. 

“Haiti - Too Rich to be Poor: 1804-2023"
Pamela White

Monday, October 2, 2023
5:30 pm
McGuire Hall West

Pamela White is an American diplomat who currently teaches at the University of Maine. In 2010, White was named United States ambassador to the Gambia by President Barack Obama. In January 2012, White was appointed United States ambassador to Haiti, where she served in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake until 2015. Prior to her appointments as ambassador, White served in the Peace Corps in Cameroon. She also worked for the United States Agency for International in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Haiti, Egypt, and South Africa. In addition, she was the deputy director for East Africa. Pamela White has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maine, a master’s degree from the School for International Training, and a degree in international development from the National Defense University. Given her wealth of training and experience, Pamela White has developed a keen assessment of current situations, obstacles to economic growth, and political (in)stabilities.

This event is free and open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by Peace and Justice, Global Studies, and Rendez-Vous Haiti. 

“The War in Ukraine and the Problem of Evil"
Dr. Marci Shore

Monday, April 3rd, 2023
6 pm
4th floor program room, AWSC

Dr. Marci Shore is an Associate Professor of History at Yale University, where she teaches modern European intellectual history. Her research focuses on the intellectual history of 20th and 21st century Central and Eastern Europe. She is the author of Caviar and Ashes: A Warsaw Generation’s Life and Death in Marxism, 1918-1968, The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, and The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution. She is also the translator of Michał Głowiński’s The Black Seasons. Dr. Shore received her MA from the University of Toronoto and her PhD from Stanford University. 

“The State of Youth Activism: A Fireside Chat with DeNora Getachew of DoSomething"

Co-Sponsored with CCSJ

Monday, March 27, 2023
6:30 pm
McGuire Hall

DeNora Getachew is the Chief Executive Officer of DoSomething.org, a national hub for youth activism. She leverages her passion and expertise for civic engagement by motivating young people to take action in order to create a more inclusive and accessible democracy. Since joining DoSomething in April 2021, she has launched a new mission, vision and strategic plan to support changes demanded by the global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and an intersectional reckoning for equity and justice. DeNora Getachew brings over two decades of experience as an attorney, advocate, and nonprofit executive leader. She has strong competencies in coalition-building, legal analysis, fundraising and policy advocacy. She has been recognized by The Network Journal as a 40 under 40, by the Association of Junior Leagues International as a Rising Star, and by the New York Junior League as a Provisional on the Move and a Woman to Watch.

“Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine”
Dr. Marwan Darweish 

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
6 pm
4th Floor Program Room, Andrew White Student Center

Marwan Darweish is Associate Professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University in the UK. Dr. Darweish's current research focuses on cultural heritage peace processes, conflict transformation and nonviolence resistance. Dr. Darweish carries extensive experience across the Middle East region and has a special interest in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He worked for over 30 years for social political change in Palestine and Israel. He recently led a team of researchers to implement a research project on the nonviolent movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the role of Israeli and international peace and solidarity movement, funded by the EU. He has considerable international experience in leading training courses in conflict transformation and peacebuilding, and in undertaking consultancies for several international and local organizations in the Middle East and Africa. His is the co-author of Popular Protest in Palestine: The History and Uncertain Future of Unarmed Resistance, and co-editor of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Contemporary Themes and Challenges.

"Anti-Fascism & Movement Repression: Exploring Social Movements and Policing"
Dr. Michael Loadenthal

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022
4:30 pm reception, 5 pm lecture
4th Floor Program Room

Dr. Loadenthal is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cincinnati. He serves as the Executive Director of the Peace and Justice Association at Georgetown University, which brings together academics, educators, and activists to explore alternatives to violence and share strategies for peacebuilding, social justice, and social change. Dr. Loadenthal is also the Executive Director of the Prosecution Project, a research platform that tracks and analyzes felony criminal cases involving political violence in the United States since 1990.  Dr. Loadenthal has published dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has given more than 200 presentations and workshops worldwide. He holds a PhD from the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, and a Master’s degree from the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews. 

Douglas Tallamy, "Nature's Best Hope"

October 7, 2021, 6 p.m., 4th Floor Program Room

Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He is the author of Bringing Nature Home (2007), The Living Landscape (2014; co-authored with Rick Darke), and the New York Times best seller, Nature's Best Hope (2020). Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation, the 2018 Morrison Communication Award, and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award. During his talk, Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can—and must take to reverse declining biodiversity, why we must change our adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one, and why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

Voice of Witness: An Evening with Carolyn Forché

October 28, 2021, 7 p.m., 4th Floor Program Room

Renowned as a “poet of witness,” Carolyn Forché is the author of five books of poetry, including Gathering The Tribes (Yale University Press, 1976), The Country Between Us (Harper and Row, 1982), The Angel of History (HarperCollins, 1994), Blue Hour (HarperCollins, 2003), and In the Lateness of the World (Penguin Press, 2020), which was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. She is also the author of the 2019 memoir What You Have Heard Is True (Penguin Random House), a devastating, lyrical, and visionary book about a young woman’s brave choice to engage with horror in order to help others (2019 National Book Award finalist). Forché is Lannan Visiting Professor of Poetry and Professor of English at Georgetown University. She will read selections from her poetry and memoir.

Claudio Saunt, "Unworthy Republic: A History of Indian Removal, Mass Deportation, and American Exceptionalism"

March 24, 2022, 7 p.m., 4th Floor Program Room

Claudio Saunt is Richard B. Russell Professor of American History and Co-Director of the Center for Virtual History at the University of Georgia. He is the author of West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776 (WW Norton, 2014), Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family (Oxford UP, 2005), and A New Order of Things: Property, Power, and the Transformation of the Creek Indians (Cambridge UP, 1999). His most recent book, Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory (Norton, 2020) was awarded the Bancroft Prize, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. The book was recognized by the Washington Post and Publishers Weekly as one of the ten best books of 2020, the New York Times as a Critics’ Top Book, and the Boston Globe as one of the best books of the year. Saunt has developed several online projects, including the Invasion of America and, with Elizabeth Fenn, Pox Americana.

Stephanie Savell, "The American Failure to See War for What It Is: The Past, Present and Future of the US Post-9/11 Wars"

April 11, 2022, 6 p.m., 4th Floor Program Room

Stephanie Savell is an anthropologist of militarism, security, civic engagement, and political culture, and has studied these topics in the United States and in Brazil. She co-directs Brown University's Costs of War Project and conducts research and outreach on the U.S. war on terrorism and its costs for Americans and others around the world. Another major line of research is on policing and activism in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she has conducted extensive field research. Savell writes for academic and public audiences; she has published in PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, Focaal: Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology, the Smithsonian magazine, US News and World Report, Axios, and The Nation, among others, and is co-author of The Civic Imagination: Making a Difference in American Political Life (Routledge, 2014).

Policing and Racial Justice in Baltimore: A conversation with Ray Kelly

September 22, 2020 at 12:15 p.m.

Ray Kelly is the Lead Community Liaison for the Consent Decree Monitoring Team and the Director of the Citizens Policing Project. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer for the No Boundaries Coalition and the 2018 Pax Christi International Peace Award Recipient.

Watch the recording of "Policing and Racial Justice in Baltimore".

Where People Power Meets Peacebuilding: A talk by Maria Stephan

October 8, 2020 at 12:15 p.m.

Maria Stephan is the co-author of Why Civil Resistance Works and is an internationally recognized expert on nonviolent action.

Watch the recording of "Where People Power Meets Peacebuilding".

Litigating Genocide at the International Court of Justice: A conversation with Arsalan Suleman

November 10, 2020 at 12:15 p.m.

Arsalan Suleman is a counsel in Foley Hoag’s International Litigation & Arbitration Practice. He is the former Acting Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Watch the recoding of "Litigating Genocide at the International Court of Justice".

From 1619 to COVID-19: A Racial Journey of the Road and Traveler (A Talk by Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa)

February 16, 2021 at 12:15 p.m.

Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa leads the Global Research Against Non-Communicable Disease (GRAND) Initiative at the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, where he also serves as Professor of Health Management & Policy. Dr. Airhihenbuwa is an expert in creating solutions to promote health equity in national and global health and has more than 30 years of experience advancing research on culture, identity and health to inform strategies for training young professionals to conduct health behavior and public health research and intervention. Prior to joining the school, he was dean of the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University in Missouri. He also has served as a visiting scholar to UN agencies such as the World Health Organization and major universities, including Purdue and Boston University, and has served on boards of Saint Louis City and Hospitals, the National Advisory committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Scholars, the Global Philanthropy Alliance, and the board of Scientific Counselors for the CDC.

Watch the recording of "From 1619 to COVID-19"

Truth, Healing, and Change: The Story of the Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission (A Talk by Esther Anne)

March 23, 2021 at 12:15 p.m.

Esther Anne serves as Policy Associate at the Cutler Institute, University of Southern Maine. She was part of the team that established and convened the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first truth commission in the United States to focus on Native child welfare. The commission was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary, Dawnland.

The Border Crisis: A Panel Discussion

Thursday October 10, 2019

A panel of leading experts will address the moral, legal, and historical dimensions of the current immigration crisis at the U.S./Mexican border. Panelists include: Michelle Mendez, director of the Defending Vulnerable Populations section of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network; Dr. Dario Euraque, Professor of History and International Studies at Trinity College; and Maureen Sweeney, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law.

Co-sponsored by Latin American and Latino Studies

Combatants for Peace: Working Together for Peace in Israel/Palestine (A talk by Suliman Khatib and Tuly Flint)

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Combatants for Peace (CFP) is a movement made up of Palestinians and Israelis who have taken an active part in the cycle of violence in Israel/Palestine, and now collectively advocate for a just peace through nonviolent means. Their mission is “to build the social infrastructure necessary for ending the conflict and the occupation.” Through joint marches, alternative Memorial Day ceremonies, educational events, and joint efforts to address the problems facing local Palestinian communities as a result of occupation, they seek to demonstrate that there is another way to be together, and that peace is possible. Suliman Khatib and Tuly Flint will share their personal stories as well as talk about the movement, its goals and activities, and the challenges they face.

Co-sponsored by Messina, the Department of Sociology, and Global Studies

Careers in Peace and Justice: A talk by David Smith

Thursday, January 30, 2020

David Smith, author of Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace, is a career coach, educational consultant, and trainer as well as the president of the Forage Center for Peace building and Humanitarian Education. He will speak about how to pursue a fulfilling career path promoting peace and justice.

Creating Capacity for Diverse Cultures to Connect: Understanding the Dynamics (A talk by Frank Eastham)

Monday, March 16, 2020

Frank Eastham is the current Chief Operating Officer at Bridgeway Community Church, a non-denominational and multicultural Christian church in Columbia, Maryland. He is the former  Executive Director of School improvement in Howard County Public Schools and a member of the Human Rights Commission. He will speak about the importance of building connections among diverse cultures. 

Howard Zehr, The Call to Service: A Restorative Vision to Sustain Us

October 11, 2018

Widely known as "the grandfather of restorative justice," Howard Zehr is a Distinguished Professor of Restorative Justice at Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Co-sponsored by Campus Ministry, CCSJ, and Messina

William Julius Wilson, Race Relations in the Age of Trump

November 13, 2018

William Julius Wilson, renowned sociologist and the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University, addressed the structural roots of urban poverty and current race relations. 

Co-sponsored by Messina, CCSJ, with financial support from the President's Office

A.E. Stallings, Bearing Witness to Europe's Refugee Crisis 

February 7, 2019

As an American poet and translator who lives in Greece, A. E. Stallings addressed Europe's refugee crisis and read from her work.

Co-sponsored with the Center for the Humanities, and the Departments of Classics, English, and Writing

Anthony Barsamian, Fighting for Peace and Justice: The Armenian Genocide Case Study

April 9, 2019

Anthony Barsamian, co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America, addressed the Armenian genocide and the struggle for recognition and justice.

Erricka Bridgeford & Ellen Gee, Baltimore Ceasefire Audio

September 21, 2017

Errika Bridgeford and Ellen Gee, co-founders of the Baltimore Ceasefire, spoke about their efforts to reduce gun violence in the city. Peace and Justice studies stands in solidarity Baltimore Ceasefire. A visual representation of this was displayed on the quad by the Peace and Justice Studies Club. 

Archbishop John Barwa, Archdiocese of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, India: Religious Persecution and Peacebuilding in India

October 3, 2017

Co-sponsored with Catholic Studies

Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, Washington Office on Latin America: No Justice, No Peace? The Future of the Justice Pillar in the Colombian Peace Accords

January 24, 2018

Co-sponsored with Latin American and Latino Studies

Bryan Stevenson, American Injustice: Mercy Humanity, and Making a Difference

March 19, 2018

Activist attorney and author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson spoke with the Loyola Community about his "dedication to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system."

Co-sponsored with Messina and Mission Integration

Sister Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues

March 26, 2018

Co-sponsored by the Office of the President, Messina, Catholic Studies, Office of Mission Integration, CCSJ, Campus Ministry and the Loyola-Notre Dame Library

Dr. Aisling Swaine, The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University - Conflict Related Violence Against Women: Identifying Connections and Distinctions

September 22, 2016

The Freddie Gray Cases: A Panel Discussion on the State of Criminal Justice in Baltimore

October 4, 2016

Panelists included David Jaros (University of Baltimore Law School), Dorcas Gilmore (Baltimore Legal Action Team), and Michael Pinard (University of Maryland Law School)

Bassam Tariq, Muslim America

October 20, 2016

Bassam Tariq, TED fellow and director of Sundance documentary film These Birds Walk

Arun Gandhi, Lessons Learned from My Grandfather: Nonviolence in a Violent World

February 2, 2017

Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, spoke to the Loyola Community about his grandfather's teachings, which focused on using anger to promote constructive action rather than violence.