Carol Snell-Feikema, 91短视频 professor, led the year鈥檚 first Flash Seminar last Thursday, Sept. 18.

The seminar focused on the Chilean coup d鈥檈tat that occurred on Sept. 11, 1973 and the resulting years of tyranny and injustice under Augusto Pinochet鈥檚 rule.

Snell-Feikema explains that the idea of participating in 91短视频鈥檚 seminar program is what initially piqued her interest. However, she states that, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 difficult to come up with a theme that mattered deeply to me.鈥�

Looking further back, Snell-Feikema notes that her exploration of Chile鈥檚 coup began simply: with a song by Chilean artist Victor Jara. The song, Manifiesto, was released prior to Jara鈥檚 abduction
and murder, and has continued to be crucial to Snell-Feikema鈥檚 comprehension of these events.

She adds, 鈥淚 am still very moved by it, even though I鈥檝e heard it so many times at this point. The fact that they killed him, and tortured him as they did, astonishes me with its brutality, its negation
of the human subject, of the human soul.鈥�

In addition to Manifiesto, Snell-Feikema incorporated other Chilean songs into her lecture. One such song is Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida, which calls out the names of several women who went missing during the time of Pinochet鈥檚 rule.

Anna Messer, a first-year who attended the lecture, states, 鈥淚 was very impressed with the song. Listening to the names of the women who were taken made it real for me.鈥�

The realness of Snell-Feikema鈥檚 lecture stems from the thousands of Chilean citizens who disappeared, as well as the fact that these events went unreported to the international world for so long. This fact contributed to Snell-Feikema鈥檚 desire to become concientized of the tragedy, a sentiment Messer echoes.

Messer notes that the lecture made her think of her own family, and that, as a Peacebuilding and Development major, the lecture has helped her to develop a sense of purpose. Messer notes, 鈥淚 feel more inclined to take action in the injustices around the world.鈥�

The major theme of Snell-Feikema鈥檚 message lies within this notion. She contends that, while there is great evil in the world, there is also good. Snell-Feikema continues with this idea, stating that people 鈥渁re capable of astonishing brutality and hatred, but they are also capable of great and astonishing beauty and bravery.鈥�

This belief wove throughout Snell-Feikema鈥檚 presentation. While she spoke about the terrors of Pinochet鈥檚 rule鈥攕uch as the bombing of the Presidential palace or the torture of Victor Jara鈥擲nell-Feikema also maintained a sense of hope that awareness may prevent similar injustices in the future.

Her example of this is simple and profound. In the years following Pinochet鈥檚 rise to power, it was the grandmothers and mothers of those missing who began to raise awareness. These women, who began simply by speaking to one another, would eventually lead protests, asking where their loved ones were.

Snell-Feikema explains that it is this courage that can lead to awareness. She adds, 鈥淚 believe we are called to hear the blood crying from the ground, and to cross the road to help those suffering from violence, injustice, poverty.鈥�

This statement is one that Messer agrees with, stating that, 鈥渋t was a transforming experience learning about the injustices of our world and how we can act against them in hopes for peace.鈥�

While there is much work to be done in the realm of human rights, Carol鈥檚 seminar is encapsulated in one idea: 鈥淟ove is stronger than hate, life is stronger than death, and God is there with us to fight for those things.鈥�

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For the twelfth year, visitors from dozens of nations gathered on a May morning at 91短视频 to begin sharing their efforts toward peace.

The 2007 , a program of 91短视频

U.S. forces in Iraq recovered the body of kidnapped Christian Peacemaker Teams activist Tom Fox, CPT confirmed on Mar. 10.

Tom Fox (seated right) participates in a Christian Peacemaker summer camp in an undated photo. Fox was absent from footage of hostages being held in Iraq that was broadcast by Al-Jazeera on Tuesday.
AP Photo / Christian Peacemaker Teams Iraq, File

Fox, a Quaker from Clearbrook, Va., was found by Iraqi police with his hands bound and with gunshot wounds to the head and chest the evening of Mar. 9, according to the Associated Press. When police saw the body was that of a Westerner, U.S. military authorities were called to the scene, reports said.

Fox had studied one semester in 91短视频’s graduate program before going to Iraq as a CPT peace worker. He was kidnapped in Baghdad Nov. 26 along with fellow CPTers Norman Kember, 74, a Briton, and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32. The four were seized at gunpoint by a group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade and have been shown in videos released by the group, which has demanded the release of all detainees in U.S. and Iraqi prisons.

The most recent video, a silent 25-second clip that aired on Aljazeera Mar. 7, showed all of the hostages except Fox.

Memorial Service Planned

A memorial service to reflect Fox’s life and work will be held 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 15, in Lehman Auditorium.

The service will include hymns, scripture reading, visuals, candlelighting and reflections by persons who knew Fox, with an emphasis both on “the meaning of Tom’s life and mission as a Christian peacemaker and remembering his three fellow CPTers and others still being held captive” in Iraq.

The service is open to everyone.

Professors and Staff Respond

, associate professor of conflict studies in 91短视频’s Center for Justice and Peacemaking, had Fox in her “strategic nonviolence” course at 91短视频.

“May we all hold every human being in Iraq in our prayers as the trauma, anger, fear and sadness rages on and on,” Dr. Schirch said in response to Fox’s death. “And may we all find a way to renew our own personal efforts to transform those energies into something more positive.

“Let us remember Tom for the bravery and hopefulness that came with his determination to be in Iraq to monitor human rights and provide a different kind of American presence there – one that sought to be in solidarity with the suffering,” Schirch added.

91短视频 President Loren Swartzentruber, in Florida during 91短视频’s spring break for development contacts, issued a statement to the campus community:

“Tom’s death, while serving with Christian Peacemaker Teams, reminds us of the tragic deaths of people of all nationalities through senseless violence around the world. I agree completely with a statement from Carol Rose, co-director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, quoted in the news – ‘In response to Tom’s passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done.'”

“Please pray for Tom’s family, co-workers, friends and for CJP faculty member Lisa Schirch and others on our campus who knew him personally,” the president said.

‘Break the Cycle’

, co-director of 91短视频