Volume 6 | Winter/Spring 2018
The Peace, Justice, and Human Rights (PJHR) Program at John Carroll University
From the Director's Desk


Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Today we remember not only the great life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but also the countless other leaders and participants in movements for human rights, human freedom, and human liberation. Most of us have have heard of King and Malcolm X. Still others may know names like Medgar Evers, James Baldwin, John Lewis, Muhammad Ali. How about Jo Ann Robinson, the architect of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (it wasn't King, after all!)? How about Fanny Lou Hamer, who fought for voting rights and risked death to do so? Or Bayard Rustin, the closeted pacifist who was a conscientious objector to World War II and brought his practice of nonviolence to his advising of King and the March on Washington in 1963? Or the names Goodwin, Chaney, and Schwerner, students who were martyred in the cause for the vote? Or the nameless thousands who risked their lives in the struggle? King is the name we remember, but nothing was possible without those whose names are not remembered in the history books, who did what needed to be done, with courage and hope. Not to mention those struggling all over the world for their national, political, and human rights! We have much to learn and to live, to honor that legacy. To believe that the universe bends toward justice is one thing. What will we do to coax that journey toward justice, toward true peace?

And let's not forget that King himself was on a journey, that his views became more radical as he confronted the entrenched systematic hatred of white supremacy and imperialism. He also said that his government was "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," as it waged war in Vietnam. If you seek social justice, we need to look carefully at how militarism in the U.S. colonizes much of our resources. Imagine a peace and justice budget. We could solve hunger in the U.S. with 1/4th of our military spending!

This semester, we are sponsoring a number of talks, dealing with a host of issues--death penalty, incarceration, immigration, health care, global conflict, and refugees. Let's learn and find ways of following in King's footsteps, in Hamer's footsteps, in Schwerner's footsteps. There is also a Social Justice film series sponsored by the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (check out their webpage for details soon!), and many other worthy programs. In Campus Ministry, on January 29th at noon, a panel called "Encountering the Other through the lens of Interfaith" will offer diverse perspectives of what it means to be a person for and with others. Sign up online at Campus Ministry.

Feel free to forward this email along to people who might want to read it. Also, I welcome any student, faculty, or staff-members who have projects, speakers, or issues related to PJHR that they would like to bring to John Carroll. Drop me an email (pmetres@jcu.edu) or come by to O'Malley 219. Let's make this campus, and our world, a place of hope. Love. Study. Struggle.

Philip Metres 
Mark Your Calendars!

The Penalty, January 22, 7pm, Jardine Room

Join us for a showing of the documentary film, "The Penalty," that explores the realities of the death penalty in the U.S. Sponsored by the Sociology Department, PJHR, and Political Science.



An Evening with Dwayne Betts, February 12, 7pm, Dolan Auditorium. 


Join us for Dwayne Betts at 7pm 2/12 in the Dolan Science Center Auditorium. Betts is a husband and father of two sons. A poet and memoirist, he is the author of three books: "Bastards of the Reagan Era," the 2010 NAACP Image Award winning memoir, "A Question of Freedom," which chronicles his nine years serving time in prison, and the poetry collection, "Shahid Reads His Own Palm." Dwayne is currently enrolled in the PhD in Law Program at the Yale Law School. He has earned a J.D. from the Yale Law School, an M.F.A. from Warren Wilson College’s M.F.A. Program for Writers, and a B.A. from the University of Maryland.

Sponsored by the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Program, the English Department, the Mandel Foundation, and the Political Science Department.

 

American Dreams: The Play at Cleveland Public Theatre on February 22, at 5pm

Join us for a free showing of "American Dreams," a play where the audience ifinds itself in a participatory game show where. contestants compete for U.S. citizenship--and the audience. decides who wins.

If you have undecided views or negative views of immigration, you are particularly welcome. Invite a friend who might benefit from this experience as well! We're working on getting a meal catered before the play, as well as transportation to and from CPT. Please contact me now at pmetres@jcu.edu if you'd like to attend!

Sponsorship from the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion and the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Program. Special thanks to Salo Rodezno and Gloria Vaquera for the collaboration!





Join us for Hospitality and the Refugee event at 5pm in O'Connell Reading Room, Dolan Science Center

Join noted philosopher Alphonso Lingis, John Carroll professor and writer Philip Metres, and Palestinian refugee Dr. Nahida Gordon for a reflection on Hospitality and Welcoming the Stranger. This promises to be intriguing collaboration between testimony, poetry, and philosophy, not to be missed! Sponsored by the Philosophy Department, with help from PJHR.


Join us for a talk by writer Meghan O'Rourke at noon on April 4th in Rodman Hall Meeting Room A about her personal journey through chronic illness and the crisis of American medicine and health care. 

Meghan O’Rourke is the author of the poetry collections "Once" (2011) and "Halflife" (2007) and a memoir. She was awarded the May Sarton Poetry Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, two Pushcart Prizes, and a Front Page Award for her cultural criticism. She is currently working on a book about chronic illness. She lives in Brooklyn, where she grew up, and Marfa, TX.

Sponsored by the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Program, the English Department, and the Cleveland Humanities Festival

An Evening with Irish writer Colum McCann. April 24, 7pm, Donohue Auditorium. 

Join us for evening with celebrated Irish writer Colum McCann on the campus of John Carroll University on April 24th at 7pm!

Colum McCann is the author of six novels and three collections of stories. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he has been the recipient of many international honours, including the National Book Award, the International Dublin Impac Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. His work has been published in over 35 languages. He is the co-founder of the non-profit global story exchange organisation, Narrative 4, and he teaches at the MFA program in Hunter College. He lives in New York with his wife, Allison, and their three children.

Sponsored by the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Program, the English Department, and Gerard Manley Hopkins Program

How to Build a Refugee Camp simulation, April 26th

More information on this opportunity to learn more about the challenges of serving refugees coming soon!



 
 
Philip Metres, Director, Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Program | 216-397-4528 | pmetres@jcu.edu

PJHR Administrative Assistant: Anna Hocevar ahocevar@jcu.edu

PJHR Advisory Board:  Matt Berg (HS), Rich Clark (SC), Erin Johnson (BI), Paul Lauritzen (TRS), Malia McAndrew (HS), Mindy Peden (PO), Walter Simmons (EC), Dianna Taylor (PL), Kristen Tobey (TRS), Wendy Wiedenhoft (SC), Jen Ziemke (PO).

PJHR Allies: Laura Boustani, Marty Connell, Mona DeBaz, Sister Katherine Flannery, Anne McGinness, Paul Murphy, Julie Myers, Ed Peck, Solomon Rodezno, Debby Rosenthal, John Scarano, David Shutkin, Colin Swearingen, Megan Wilson-Reitz.