Founded in 1974 by the late Howard Richards, Caroline Higgins (formerly Richards) and Tony Bing, Earlham’s Peace and Global Studies major stands as one of the pioneering academic peace programs in the U.S and is celebrating 50 years at Earlham this year. The program focuses first and foremost on questions of justice and analyzing violence in all its forms including: war, militarism, colonialism, institutionalized racism and gender-based and economic violence.
Earlhamites are invited to honor 50 years of peace and justice on campus with various programming opportunities for students, faculty/staff and alums. Events will be held from Friday, September 27 to Saturday, September 28.
Friday’s events include a panel on Palestine at 4 p.m. in Landrum Bolling Center 105, featuring Basil Farraj ’14, Professor at Birzeit University, and Hashem Abu Sham’a ’17, professor at Oxford University. Farraj is the author of “Global Palestine: Fortifying Our Collective Struggle Against Oppression,” while Abu Sham’a wrote “A Map Without Guarantees: On Palestinian Imaginaries for Liberation.” Dinner will conclude Friday’s activities at 6 p.m. in the Friends Room of the dining hall with various alumni speakers.
May-Crossen Commons in Runyan Center will kick off Saturday’s festivities with an alumni mixer and gathering from 10:30 a.m. to noon. PAGS will then host a tree planting ceremony and drum circle at 2 p.m. in honor of late program founder Howard Richards. Follow crowds to the east side of Campus Drive at the intersection of S.W. D Street and look for the green space next to the Office of Public Safety.
The question “what can you do with a PAGS major?” will be answered for all at 4 p.m. In addition to keynote speaker Caroline Higgins, who will appear virtually via Zoom, panelists include: Rev. Rebecca Voelkel ’91, current pastor for Justice Ministries and director of the Center for Sustainable Justice at Lyndale UCC and adjunct faculty at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities; Jason Shenk ’06, member of the nonviolent Medicaid army; Anita De León ’15, union organizer and Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Davis specializing in contemporary Latin American literature of plants, animals, and affective relationships; and Sierra Mohamed ’17, who works with Relief International (Belfast) and the New York City chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Saturday’s activities will conclude with an open mic full of poetry, spoken word, and truth telling, also at May-Crossen Commons.
Don’t miss out on these festivities—reach out to professor Swanger at [email protected] to get involved or give a last minute RSVP.
By Jay Kibble, writer/editor for Earlham’s Office of Marketing & Communications
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About Earlham College
Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.
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Email: [email protected]
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