ACE Festival 2018

Fania E. Davis
Social Activist, Restorative Justice Scholar, Civil Rights Attorney

Fania E. Davis is co-founder and director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY). Disparately impacting youth of color, punitive school discipline and juvenile justice policies activate cycles of youth violence and incarceration. RJOY works to interrupt these cycles by promoting institutional shifts toward restorative approaches that actively engage families, communities, and systems to repair harm and prevent re-offending. RJOY focuses on reducing racial disparities and public costs associated with high rates of incarceration, suspension, and expulsion. Davis鈥� close childhood connection to victims of the 1963 Sunday School bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, set her career path early in life. She is a long-time social justice activist, restorative justice scholar, and civil rights attorney. Davis earned a JD from the University of California, Berkeley and a PhD in indigenous studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has taught restorative justice and indigenous peacemaking at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has received the Ubunti Service to Humanity award, the Maloney award, and World Trust鈥檚 Healing Justice award. The Los Angeles Times named Davis a new civil rights leader of the 21st century.

Fania E. Davis will be on campus for the week of April 16-20 interacting with members of our campus community as a visiting fellow through the Council of Independent Colleges鈥� Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program.

Biography courtesy of The CIC鈥檚 Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program.

Leah Penniman of is a nationally-recognized educator, farmer, and food justice activist. is a family farm committed to ending racism and injustice in our food system.

Gather with Father Tom Doyle for a presentation on The Spiritual Impact of Sexual Abuse in Religious Contexts.

Father Doyle is a world-renowned Catholic leader, priest, canon lawyer, addictions therapist and long-time supporter of justice and compassion for clergy sex abuse victims.

, author, activist and Co-Founder of Red Letter Christians, speaks on Jubilee: The bible鈥檚 Vision for a Just Economy along with Andrew Hanauer, Campaigns Director of Jubilee USA Network.
is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living 鈥渁s if Jesus meant the things he said.鈥� Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty.

Shane鈥檚 books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, his classic The Irresistible Revolution and his newest book, Executing Grace. He has been featured in a number of films including 鈥淎nother World Is Possible鈥� and 鈥淥rdinary Radicals.鈥� His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He鈥檚 given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame.

Shane speaks regularly at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe.
Andrew Hanauer is the Campaigns Director at Jubilee USA. Andrew represents Jubilee in policy meetings with the White House, Congress, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations. He serves on steering committees at the United Nations and with the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency coalition. Andrew鈥檚 views on poverty and economic policy appear in news outlets including Al Jazeera, Pacifica Radio, Common Dreams and The Washington Free Beacon.

Catherine Barnes and Lisa Schirch first met as students at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Their peacebuilding careers have since intersected in higher education and in the field. Part of their work has involved providing leadership and support for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), which in 2005 brought approximately 1,500 people from across the globe together and united civil society actors and their governments in an unprecedented way. In this podcast, Lisa and Catherine discuss their entry into the academic field of peacebuilding and some of their views on the development of civil society-focused peace initiatives. We recorded this conversation in April 2016 at 91短视频 as part of an e-journal series, A Genealogy of Ideas, written by Jayne Docherty and Mikhala Lantz-Simmons.

In this event sponsored by , Assistant Professor of Nursing, , delivers her hypothetical “Last Lecture.”

We may not find it difficult to view interpretation as a way of making sense, but it may be more challenging to realize what else it may be. If 鈥渢he age of interpretation is behind us,鈥� as Jacques-Alain Miller has claimed, then what could it look like? What if interpretation has more than meaning to give? If not only for explanation, if not only for meaning, where could it lead us? Which is another way of asking: What are its fates? Join the Harrisonburg Center for Psychoanalysis consider these, and probably other questions, in this panel presentation.

“Transgenerational trauma”聺 is trauma that is transferred from the first generation of trauma survivors to the second and further generations of offspring of the survivors via complex post-traumatic stress disorder mechanisms.

The descendant of Russian and Austrian Jews who perished in the Pogrom and the Holocaust, Dr. Marjorie Agosin’s family escaped from Vienna, Austria and immigrated to Chile, where she grew up until the family fled to the United States to escape the military coup that overthrew Salvador Allende.

Dr. Agosin has written poetry books about the Holocaust, (one book in particular through the eyes of Anne Frank,) and violent political repression in South America and how these traumas continue to inform her work. Her creative work is inspired by the theme of social justice as well as the pursuit of remembrance and the memorialization of traumatic historical events both in the Americas and in Europe.
Her writing reflects a strong sense of her Jewish and Chilean identities as well as strong faith in life and the resilience of her Jewish ancestors. Together these form her connection to the whole of humanity.

Dr. Agosin speaks about the “weight”聺 of transgenerational trauma through her own experiences as well as the stories of women who have been resilient in the face of political and ethnic oppression throughout the world.

Public address by Leymah Gbowee, 91短视频 alumnus and Nobel Peace laureate

In his 2008 book The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future (or Don鈥檛 Trust Anyone under 30) Dr. Mark Bauerlein argues that despite unprecedented access to knowledge and information, the latest generation of Americans appears to be 鈥渘o more learned or skilled than their predecessors, no more knowledgable, fluent, up-to-date or inquisitive, except in the materials of youth culture.鈥�

Bauerlein is professor of English at Emory University and has taught there since 1989, with a two-and-a-half year break in 2003-05 to serve as the Director of the Office of Research and Analysis, at the National Endowment for the Arts. He has published numerous scholarly works, including a highly acclaimed account of a 1906 race riot in Atlanta (Negrophobia). In addition, his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, TLS, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, where his blog eloquently promotes the humanities. A recent essay (2012) in First Things narrates his turn from atheism to Catholicism.

This event is sponsored by the department of as part of the .

This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below.

Password:

Dr. Abuelaish is a Palestinian medical doctor and infertility specialist who has dedicated his life to peace in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize for three consecutive years. Born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, he has overcome hardships of poverty and violence to become one of the most prominent educators and public speakers on peace and development in the Middle East. Dr. Abuelaish received his elementary and secondary educations in the refugee camp in Jabalia, Gaza. He eventually garnered a scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Cairo. He obtained a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of London. He went on to earn his Master鈥檚 degree in Public Health, Health Policy and Management at Harvard University. Dr. Abuelaish was the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital. For many years, he worked as a senior researcher at the Gertner Institute in Sheba hospital in Israel. Currently, Dr. Abuelaish is an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is the Founder and President of the Daughters for Life Foundation, a Canadian charity that provides awards and scholarships to young women in the Middle East, in memory of his three daughters.

Dr. Abuelaish has had the opportunity to experience the impacts of conflict in countries around the world, working as both an insider and outsider to conflict. This has led him to consider doctors as peace-makers by the moral doctrine of their profession. Dr. Abuelaish has been an important figure in Israeli-Palestinian relations for years, working in Israeli hospitals, treating Israeli and Palestinian patients with the full belief that health is an engine for the journey to peace. In his presentation, Dr. Abuelaish will discuss further how his work as a healthcare practitioner mobilizes health as a tool for peace.

Izzeldin Abuelaish, often referred to as 鈥渢he Gaza Doctor鈥� in the media, is a Palestinian medical doctor and infertility specialist who has dedicated his life to peace in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Abuelaish has overcome many personal hardships, including poverty and violence, to become one of the most outspoken, prominent and beloved educators and public speakers on peace and development in the Middle East. His personal doctrine is that hate is not a response to war. Rather, open communication, understanding and compassion are the tools to bridge the divide between Israeli and Palestinian interests. 鈥淎ll can live in harmony,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd all can reach their full potentials spiritually, emotionally, physically and intellectually.鈥�

Dr. Abuelaish received his elementary, preparatory and secondary educations in the refugee camp school system in Jabalia, Gaza. As a child and as an adult, he and his family endured the dismal and severely impoverished conditions of the refugee camp, as well as the constant humiliation and inhumanity of the siege and its associated checkpoints and travel restrictions.

At all times, Dr. Abuelaish strived to maintain a balanced and positive perspective toward his experiences and the Israeli people, knowing that the latter are not representative of the sentiments that fuel one of the world鈥檚 longest conflicts and the conflict that threatens overall world security.

Dr. Abuelaish, who has worked in Israeli hospitals caring for patients and delivering babies of both Palestinian and Israeli descent, has always said that all people, regardless of their religious and political beliefs, are equal, deserve access to quality education and health care, and should have every opportunity to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

From a young age, Dr. Abuelaish set his sights on becoming a doctor and studied hard to achieve his dream, despite having to work outside his profession to support both himself and his family. He eventually garnered a scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Cairo. Following this, he obtained a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of London. He later completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Saroka Hospital in Israel, followed by further study in fetal medicine and genetics at V. Buzzi Hospital in Milan, Italy and Erasme Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. He then went on to earn his Master鈥檚 degree in Public Health, Health Policy and Management at Harvard University. Dr. Abuelaish was the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital. For many years, he worked as a senior researcher at the Gertner Institute in Sheba hospital in Israel.

On January 16, 2009, tragedy struck when an Israeli tank shelled his home in Gaza and killed three of his daughters, Bessan, 21, Mayar, 15 and Aya, 13, and his niece Noor, 17. This hearbreaking loss came only four months after losing his wife to cancer. Rather than retreat into despair, he deepened his resolve to become a beacon of hope for peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. In 2010 his memoir I Shall Not Hate: a Gaza Doctor鈥檚 Journey became an instant best seller and has been translated into 16 languages. He has travelled all over the world with his message of peace through non-violence and is a nominee for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for the third consecutive year.

Dr. Abuelaish has won many awards, including the 2009 recipient of the Stavros Niarchos Prize for Survivorship, the 2009 Search for Common Ground Award, the 2009 Middle East Institute Award, the 2010 Uncommon Courage Award from the Centre for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding at Queen鈥檚 College (New York), and the 2010 Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award of Canada. He has also been named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2009 and again in 2010 by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan. He was one of the three finalists for the 2009 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. He has received honorary degrees from Queen鈥檚 University, the University of Manitoba and the University of Western Ontario, and was recently appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province鈥檚 highest honour.
Dr. Abuelaish believes that doctors can act as messengers of peace, and work toward bridging the divide between people in conflict zones everywhere. He believes that the real enemy, not only between Palestinian and Israeli but in all conflicts, is ignorance, the dehumanization of others and an inability to understand and communicate with others. He believes the future must be about tolerance, dignity, respect and embracing our universal humanity and interconnectedness.

Currently, Dr. Abuelaish is an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is teaching three courses in public health: Women鈥檚 Health in Countries of Conflict, Health as an Engine for the Journey to Peace, and International Perspectives on Health Services Management. These courses center on understanding the underpinnings of social and political conflict, and providing tangible and pragmatic ways to promote health as a strategy to building peace.

Dr. Abuelaish is the Founder and President of the Daughters for Life Foundation, a Canadian charity that provides awards and scholarships to young women in the Middle East in memory of his slain daughters. His aim in establishing the Foundation was to give other young women the opportunity to fulfill his daughters鈥� dreams for an educated future as agents of change in the journey towards peace.

was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1975, when she was appointed Director of Black Studies at the University of Detroit, she has studied, taught, and written about African American literature. In addition to the University of Detroit, she has taught at St. John College of Cleveland, Harvard Divinity School, Wellesley College, Mills College, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and is currently Professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. from University of Detroit, 1976.

Her recent publications include The Other Blacklist: The African American Literary and Cultural Left of the 1950s (Columbia University Press, 2014). With this book, Washington explores the impact of the Left, the Communist Party, and the U.S. government spying operations on African American literature and culture during the Cold War. Focused on six major African American writers and artists of the 1950s, this study shows how their Left affiliations enabled them to shape an aesthetic that maintained traditions of race radicalism and literary experimentation.

Six Professors Emeriti share history and perspective from their own experiences in their teaching careers at 91短视频.

Panel discussion with Drs. Kenton Brubaker, Glenn M. Kauffman, Galen Lehman, Joseph W. Mast,Clair Mellinger, and Millard Showalter

Dr. Kenton Brubaker graduated from 91短视频 (then EMC) in 1954 after three years as a biology major there and a senior year as an agronomy major at Cornell University. He then earned a masters and doctorate in horticulture at Ohio State University. He began teaching at EMC in 1959, branching out in many areas of biology: biochemistry, genetics, ecology, and agriculture. One of his primary interests was international agriculture, fostered by a three year teaching term with Mennonite Central Committee in the Congo (1962-65).

Dr. Glenn M. Kauffman attended 91短视频 (then EMC) in 1956-60, and earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemistry and mathematics from Goshen College in 1961. At the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1960鈥檚, he served as Teaching Assistant, Busch Fellow, and National NSF Pre-doctoral Fellow. He earned his PhD in physical organic chemistry in 1966. Dr. Kauffman served as Professor of Chemistry and Department Head at 91短视频 from 1965-2003. Various committee involvements at 91短视频 included the Academic Council, the Pre-professional Health Science Advisory Committee, and the 91短视频 research Review Board. He also served as the Chemical Hygiene Officer and was the co-principal investigator on several grant proposals. Over the years he taught at 91短视频, Dr. Kauffman also engaged in research and served as a research professor at the University of Florida, The University of Toronto, and James Madison University.

Dr. Galen Lehman earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Psychology from 91短视频 (then EMC) in 1973, a master鈥檚 in General Experimental Psychology from Hollins College in 1980, and a doctorate in Applied Experimental Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1988. He retired from 91短视频 in 2014 after serving 39 years as Professor of Psychology. (For several years prior to his retirement, he had been the longest-serving professor at 91短视频.) During his tenure at 91短视频, he served on 鈥渁lmost every committee鈥� (including the Strategic Planning Council) and chaired a number of task forces (including co-chairing the 91短视频 Structure task-force). He has served as a researcher and consultant to many large corporations including Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Association, Dominos Pizza, and USAID. Galen also served as Caribbean Regional Director for Virginia Mennonite Missions for 18 years, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Park View Federal Credit Union for 12 years.

Dr. Joseph Mast received a B.S. degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from 91短视频 (then EMC). He also received a Masters and PhD in Astronomy, and later a Master of Computer Science degree, from the University of Virginia. Dr. Mast taught at 91短视频 for 37 years, beginning in the Physics department and later the Mathematical Sciences department. He was involved in the M. T. Brackbill planetarium program from its beginning and served as Director for twenty years. He was one of the charter members of the Park View Federal Credit Union. Joe enjoys reading and solving Sudoku puzzles.

Dr. Clair Mellinger taught in the 91短视频 Biology Department for 37 years. A graduate of EMC, he earned a PhD in Plant Ecology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On his return to EMC as the non-pre-professional-health professor in the department, he taught, at one time or another, almost every other course not having human anatomy or physiology in its title. When D. Ralph Hostetter retired he inherited many of his courses, including the ornithology course. Subsequently Clair spent much of his summer and sabbatical time on ornithological projects. This interest led to his serving as the President, Murray Research Award Committee Chair, and Board member in the Virginia Society of Ornithology. At 91短视频, he served for many years as the Biology Department Chair and the Director of the Suter Science Center. From 1980-2005 he was the Curator of the D. Ralph Hostetter Museum of Natural History. He served on the Dean鈥檚 Committee, COTE, Assessment Committee, and other committees during his tenure. Since retirement, he has more time to spend with his family, as well as indulging in reading, travel, and more bird watching.

Dr. Millard Showalter earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree from 91短视频 (then EMC) in 1962. He later earned master鈥檚 degrees from the University of South Carolina (MM, 1966) and Vanderbilt University (MA, 1971), as well as a doctorate from the University of Virginia (EdD, 1981). Dr. Showalter served in 91短视频鈥檚 mathematical sciences department for 32 years (1966 鈥� 1998). During his tenure at 91短视频, he advised the math education majors and served on various committees including Academic Council, Dean鈥檚 Committee, Honor鈥檚 Program Committee, and the General Education Curriculum Committee. For a number of years he served as department chair, and as building coordinator of the Suter Science Center. Millard was known for his presentations of memorized scriptural passages in chapel.

In an evening lecture, shares from her book, .

鈥淣o matter how tragic your circumstances, your life is not a tragedy. It is a love story. And in your love story, when you think all the lights have gone out, one light still shines.鈥� 鈥� Marie Monville

This became the anthem to Marie鈥檚 life when on October 2, 2006, her then husband made a decision to , forever changing life as she knew it. This is Marie鈥檚 testimony. On her darkest day, Marie simply chose to believe that HE IS. Marie ministers the truth of God鈥檚 love: it is deep enough to heal any wound, strong enough to break all bondage, and it brings life to the broken and light to those in darkness. She will inspire you to dive deep into a passionate, transformative love relationship with God.