Peace and Justice Events at Loyola

The Peace and Justice minor has a vibrant presence on campus! Check out some of our recent events below.

"African Politics" guest lecture in PS*309
Ilyssa Yahmi
April 3, 2025

The Office of Peace and Justice supports guest lectures in courses counting towards the P&J minor. Ilyssa Yamhi, Ph.D. candidate, gave a lecture in Dr. Joan Ricart-Huguet's PS*309 "African Politics" class. Her research explores the relationship between smuggling as a tool for rebel governance and the production of violence in the Sahel region.

"Haiti: Haitians' Responsibility"
Alexandrine Benjamin
April 3, 2025

Alexandrine Benjamin, award-winning Haitian film-maker, talked with Dr. Heidi Shaker's FR*333 "Caribbean Identities in Movement." She also gave a keynote talk entitled "Haiti: Haitians' Responsibility" that explored the consequences of gang violence in Haiti. 
 

Guest Speaker, Matthew Ribar, visits PS*311 "African Politics" class 
January 31, 2025

Matthew Ribar, Ph.D. candidate in the department of political science at Stanford University, was a guest speaker in Dr. Joan Ricart-Huguet's class PS*311 "African Politics." He talked about an ongoing project with MercyCorps and USAID to reduce conflict in Niger.     

 

Truth, History, and the 1619 Project: Nikole Hannah-Jones
Moderated by Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead and Dr. David Carey Jr.
Co-sponsored with Office of Equity and Inclusion
January 27, 2025

Over 2,000 people joined us for a conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones about the 1619 project, racial justice and repair, and how this applies to Loyola Unversity Maryland. A working group dinner afterwards discussed next steps for the work being done on campus.

 

"Partnering for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine: An Evening with Combatants for Peace"
Aziz Abu Sarah and Elie Avidor
November 14, 2024 

   

Film showing: There is Another Way
Q&A with film director Stephen Apkon and activists Mai Shahin and Elie Avidor
November 14, 2024

 

“Slavery and its Legacies at Loyola: Curricular Interventions”
Dr. David Carey Jr. 
October 30, 2024

 

Bunting Keynote talk: “Singing into the Wound: An Evening of Poetry and conversation with Brian Turner”
Brian Turner
October 24, 2024

    

“Endogenous Colonial Borders: Precolonial States and Geography in the Partition of Africa”
Dr. Joan Ricart-Huguet
October 7, 2024

 

“Protecting Human Rights in an International System that is Increasingly Multi-polar: Challenges, Both Old and New”
Dr. James Snow
September 16, 2024 

 

"The Relevance of Rabindranath Tagore’s Philosophy of Peace in Today’s World"
Dr. Sudeshna Basu
April 18, 2024

Dr. Sudeshna Basu gave a talk on Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy of peace, and explored how he reshaped Bengali literature, music, and art. 

   

"Truth-telling, Racial Justice and Healing in the United States"
Fania Davis
April 2, 2024

Fania Davis gave an interactive keynote talk on the principles of restorative justice and how we can move towards racial justice and healing in the United States. 

   

"The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church"
Rachel Swarns
March 21, 2024

Rachel Swarns gave a keynote talk on the families who were enslaved and sold to build Jesuit catholic universities. She also met with a focus group of students to discuss Loyola's historical ties to slavery and her journalism work. 

   
     

“Rethinking Nigeria’s Nationalist Narrative: The Role of Ethnic Minorities in Shaping Post-Colonial Nigerian Politics"
Dr. Oghenetoja Okoh
February 21, 2024

Dr. Okoh gave an informative and interactive presentation exploring the role of ethnic minorities in post-colonial Nigerian politics.

"Surviving the Bosnian Genocide: Lessons from Srebrenica"
Hasan Hasanović
February 8, 2024

Hasan Hasanović shared his very moving and personal testimony of surviving the Bosnian Genocide as a child. 

   

"Legacies of Slavery at Loyola: Historical Evidence from the Postbellum Period"
Dr. David Carey Jr.
January 31, 2024

Dr. Carey, Jr. gave the second part of his talk on Loyola's historical ties to slavery. He specifically explored historical evidence from the postbellum period. 

 

"Church and Modern Anti-Semitism"
Dr. James Snow
December 6, 2023

Dr. Snow explored historical ties between the Catholic church and anti-Semitism. 

 

“Pathways to Peace in Israel-Palestine: Lessons Learned"
Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer
November 16, 2023

Dr. Abu-Nimer gave a keynote talk arguing that to support Israelis and Palestinians is to insist on their right to equally live in peace and freedom, not help structures of state violence and cultures of militarization. 

   
 

"Slavery and Its Legacies at Loyola”
Dr. David Carey, Jr.
November 15, 2023

Dr. Carey Jr. gave the first part of his talk exploring Loyola's historical ties to slavery. He analyzed archival evidence from before 1863. 

       

“Poems of Resistance and Resilience: An Evening with Teri Ellen Cross Davis”
Teri Ellen Cross Davis
November 13, 2023

Teri Ellen Cross Davis gave a moving poetry reading and keynote talk about the haunting legacies of an ancestral past and the challenges of living in 21st century America. Students had the opportunity to ask her lots of questions about what it is like to be a writer over dinner!

 

"Genocide and Identity: Destruction and Reconstruction of Selfhood in Me, the Last Tutsi”
Dr. Heidi Shaker
October 18, 2023

Dr. Shaker analyzed the destruction and reconstruction of selfhood in Charles Habonimana's first-person testimony about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. 

“Haiti: Too Rich to be Poor"
Pamela White
October 2, 2023

Peace and Justice studies collaborated with the Caribbean Students' Union and Rendez-Vous Haiti Club to host this event. Pamela White gave students a inside look at being an ambassador during her lunch talk, delivered a keynote address, and joined faculty and staff for dinner afterward. 

           

Peace and Justice End-of-the-Year Reception
April 25, 2023

Faculty and students came together to celebrate all of the work done in Peace and Justice studies at Loyola throughout the year!

     

“Compassionate Accountability and Collective Responsibility”
Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead
April 17, 2023

Dr. Whitehead led a nuanced discussion about race, compassionate accountability, and our collective responsibility towards each other. 

 

“The War in Ukraine and the Problem of Evil”
Dr. Marci Shore
April 3, 2023

Dr. Shore's keynote talk explored the roots of the war in Ukraine and gave students the background needed to better understand world events. 

 

“The State of Youth Activism: A Fireside Chat with DoSomething”
DeNora Getachew 
March 27, 2023

Peace and Justice Studies partnered with CCSJ for a student-moderated dialogue with DeNora Getachew on how college students can become engaged in community activism!

           

“Democratic Partisanship”
Dr. Fuat Gursolzu
March 22, 2023

Dr. Gursolzu led a discussion about politics, democracy, and how productive conflict can lead to increased peace and justice.

 

"The Age of Cain: Western Extractive Colonialism, the Christian Imagination, and the Anthropocene'"
Dr. Daniel Castillo
March 2, 2023

Dr. Castillo led a Peace and Justice faculty lunch talk on colonialism, religion, and environmental justice. Fruitful connections across disciplines became very apparent!

  

"Anti-Facism and Movement Repression: Exploring Social Movements and Policing"
Dr. Michael Loadenthal
December 1, 2022

Dr. Loadenthal led an interactive workshop on negotiation tactics for social movements, gave a lunch talk on careers in Peace and Justice studies, and gave an enriching keynote lecture on social movements and policing. 

        

"Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine"
Dr. Marwan Darweish
November 10, 2022

Dr. Darweish gave a rich and nuanced keynote talk that helped the audience to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.