Berea College students enrolled in Peace and Social Justice courses taught by Dr. Michelle Tooley and Jason Strange attended the 2012 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference from November 8-11. Lake Junaluska is located in the Smokey Mountains of Western North Carolina and has been a Methodist Retreat Center since 1913. Each year over 150,000 people experience Lake Junaluska through the ministry programs, church retreats, annual conferences and countless other events. The fifth annual Peace Conference theme was entitled “Love in Action: The Transformative Power of Non-Violence.”

The outstanding platform of key-note speakers included:

• Liberian Peace Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee
• Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, Candler School of Theology Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr.
• President of the Metta Center for Nonviolence Michael Nagler
• Central Methodist Mission in Cape Town, Africa. Rev. Alan Storey.

Each speaker has been on the front lines of non-violence movements around the world from the U.S to Liberia and South Africa. Their testimonies provided rich alternative paradigms to violence and built off applications of non-violence as taught by Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and other spiritual leaders. The goal of the conference was to propose alternative patterns for resolving conflict, achieving justice and building peace.

Students who wished to attend the conference applied for Discovery Funds through Berea College’s financial aid and were awarded with sufficient funds for meals. The costs associated with attending the conference and lodging were provided on behalf of Lake Junaluska in form of generous scholarships. Erica Cook, a senior Communication major from Costa Rica said, “I’m so blessed to have the chance to attend a conference such as this one but if it were not for the grant I and others received from Berea College, many of us would not have had this amazing opportunity.”

Contingent attending Lake Junaluska Peace Conference from Berea College

This year a total of 20 students attended the conference, which is 10 more students than last year. Due to the immense popularity of the experiences expressed by the ones who attended the 2011 conference, more students decided it would be rewarding to see what the hype was themselves. Although many consider Lake Junaluska to be a relaxing and beautiful environment, during the Peace Conference there is little time for outdoor excursions. The conference schedule is quite hectic. Each day begins with breakfast at 7:30 am, followed by prayers and meditation and is continued with speakers throughout the day until about 9 pm.

Kenny Madden, a sophomore Sociology major from Greenup, KY shares, “I thought the Peace Conference was great. It gave me a much needed morale boost for continuing to work for peace. It strengthened my belief in the principle and practice of nonviolence, and taught me valuable skills for engaging in nonviolent resistance.”

Many of the students correlated the speakers to the ones that come to Berea College for convocations. Samuel Gilbert, a Political Science major from Lexington, KY observes, “I really enjoyed the peace conference, it was very informative and eye opening. The speakers were all well versed in their fields and had inspiring things to say. It felt like a long convocation, filled with cathartic speech and moments of peaceful resolution to change the world.”

Although many of the students were excited to learn more about conflict transformation in order to apply it to their Peace and Social Justice classes, they all expressed gratitude for being able to enjoy a “mini-vacation” away from Berea after mid-term exams. Jessica Wells, a junior from Greenup, KY said, “Lake Junaluska is beautiful! This has been the most stressful semester of my college career, so having the opportunity to attend this conference provided me with some much needed relaxation and de-stress time.”

George Marshall, an Education Studies major from Noblesville, IN admitted, “It was the highlight of my semester.”

Most of the students who attended enjoyed the conference because they learned how successful peace activists were able to apply the theories taught in Dr. Tooley and Jason Strange’s classes. Kathryn Pliml, a junior Child and Families Studies major from Grand Rapids, MI recalls, “We’ve been reading and discussing a lot of theory and it was great to see it carried out by professionals and to hear stories of how it’s been implemented in the work that they do. I also got to hear a lot of different takes on conflict transformation which was educational because there have been times when I’ve not completely agreed with ideas we’ve discussed, but they were presented to me in a new light.”

Leymah Gbowee with Erica Cook

The key-note speakers made lasting impressions on the students. It is not every day you get a chance to meet a Nobel Peace Prize winner like Leymah Gboyee who is such an inspiration to millions of people. George says, “It was amazing to hear Leymah’s story of how she, along with thousands of Christian and Muslim women, started a revolution in Liberia and ended the Civil War.” The fact that Leymah Gboyee was successful in accomplishing one of the most difficult tasks in the world, bringing about peace in Liberia, struck many of the students and urged them to think about the ways in which they can also change the world.

Samuel says, “Leymah spoke about her struggle to change the course of history in Liberia, to end the Civil War and to bring peace to her fractured land. It was inspiring to hear her struggle and her triumph.”

Michael Nagler was another inspirational speaker the students were quite fond of, Kathryn recalls, “Not only was he informative, clear, and obviously incredibly intelligent but he also held a workshop about his work and had dinner with us. The ability to maintain a balance between being a renowned scholar and being personable and engaging with those who aren’t was very impressive.”

After four days of intense introspection and analysis of social change based on non-violent approaches, the students left with a sense of empowerment and an eagerness to make a difference in their world, beginning in their communities at the grassroots level. Sarah Clark, a sophomore Sociology major from Knoxville, TN says, “The Lake Junaluska Peace Conference was inspiring, empowering, eye-opening, refreshing, frightening at times and overall an enabler to reflect on all the conflicts that are waged in this world and within lifetimes.”

They all expressed either a new found interest in conflict transformation or the validation they needed. Sam admits, “I learned the value of using non-violence versus other means of interaction. It reinforced my belief that it only takes a few dedicated people to start a movement that can change the world.”

***

Further reading:

• Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr.
• Michael Nagler

Lake Junaluska Conference Site

Photos by Erica Cook and Johnny Pope

Appalachia is a multifaceted host with as many different faces as hollows and hills. Some are beautiful, kind, and accepting. Some are filled with hate, and some are caught in between, unsure of where they stand until the line is drawn for them. Far too often, the unique rhythms of this place are lost in the stereotypes by which it is often characterized. This is My Heart for You, the latest work of acclaimed regional author Silas House, refuses this trap, embracing some of the most difficult and complex topics facing modern Appalachia. In the writer’s own words the play is “a prayer for things to get better, for us all to have more understanding and compassion.”

The play’s world premier is scheduled for tonight February 22 at Berea’s Jelkyl Drama center. There is little apprehension among the cast and crew. Under the insightful direction of Berea’s own Adanma Onyedike Barton, and with the work of Berea’s finest student actors, This is My Heart for You has become a vibrant and moving production that is not only ready, but longing to be seen. Actor Jason Fontenot, from Fort Worth Texas, says, “I’m not nervous at all. We’ve got too good of a program.”

The play is not shy with respect to subject matter. Before the backdrop of small town Appalachia, issues of homophobia, racism, and discrimination play out for all to see. Actress Megan Rebecckiah Jones from Manchester, Kentucky, says, “This has been a hard show to do because it’s very emotional. It’s so current that it’s uncomfortable.”  Inspiring discomfort is in part what this play is about. It is that discomfort that motivates the play’s characters as well as the audience members to confront the injustices portrayed.

For lead actor Will Bain from Ider, Alabama, the role is his first, and it is also personal. Referring to his character Jesse, Bain says, “I really connect to him. There’s a big message here.” And Bain does a fantastic job in conveying that message. His performance shines among the brightest in the play.

Although Berea College is proud to host the world premiere of this moving piece, there can be no doubt that this play is going big places. The message Bain speaks of is at once uniquely Appalachian and universally applicable. It is as if This is My Heart for Youhas written the caption to our most modern picture of Appalachia. If you grew up here and are already familiar with the themes addressed, then come out and spend some time with the characters you know best. If not, come out anyway. If there is any message to be taken home from the show, it is that there is room for everyone at this table.

Related Links

• Theatre Laboratory
• Silas House and Adanma Onyedike Barton talk with WTVQ-TV

Robert Hoag, Ph.D.,
Chair, Academic Division V

Hoag earned his bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and went on to earn his graduate degrees from the University of Virginia. Although he went to a prestigious institution, his background is quite similar to that of a Berea College student. Hoag is a first generation college student raised by a single mother in Daytona Beach, Florida, but with her indelible support and his undeniable dedication, he set out to achieve his dreams despite their economic difficulties. Hoag affirmed,

“The Great Commitments attracted me to Berea because they were doing the right thing: creating access for people who otherwise probably would not have the opportunity to attend college. And that’s really important.”

Hoag came to Berea College in 1983. He has taught courses on human rights and international law, domestic policy questions, civil disobedience, and economic justice. Hoag teaches a two-course sequence in the history of political philosophy that includes the teachings of philosophers such as Plato, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. Hoag also teaches a senior seminar every third year, which is a required senior research class called GSTR 410.

“Truth is very difficult to get to, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”

The students are Hoag’s favorite aspect of working at Berea. He especially likes teaching first-year students because “you see a lot of growth. Berea students, unlike students in many places I have been, are very bright and capable but do not realize it.” Many Berea College students do not grasp their own potential, especially first-year students. However, in many instances those same students become some of the most successful people in their communities with the help of Berea’s extraordinary faculty and staff. When given the opportunity, Berea students achieve impressive goals, and by the time they graduate, have striking résumés to prove so. Hoag claims,

“Students discover they are brighter intellectually than they might have known before. I love seeing that happen, and the possible explanation is that they haven’t been challenged in a certain way.”

Some philosophy majors at Berea have gone to prestigious institutions such as Columbia Law School and Vanderbilt University. One student in particular came from a very poor county in West Virginia. When he arrived as a first-year student, he struggled with his reading and writing skills. However, he worked diligently, went to law school, and found professional success upon his return to West Virginia. “We train them to think and write very well. Then they go off and do really well for themselves.”

Hoag himself is an example of the personal and academic growth he encourages in students. Throughout his high school years, Hoag thought he wanted to work in the medical field, but toward his senior year, he began to question the social issues sweeping the nation in the 1960’s: the Vietnam War, the role of religion in society, Civil Rights, and Jim Crow laws. He decided to take a variety of different aptitude tests and found that his interests pointed toward a future in law. Following some deep introspection, he took a humanities course called History of Ideas during his first year at Davidson College. Hoag absolutely loved the class, due mostly to his inspirational professors and interesting discussions about topics he was passionate about. He came to the conclusion that he no longer wanted to pursue a scientific career, but rather engage in theoretical discussions.

Outside of the classroom, Hoag enjoys discussing new ideas and good books with good people, and he is committed to producing such good ideas in his writing. He has written articles for professional journals in philosophy that deal with human rights and the Just War Theory. He has also written book reviews for a number of book releases in his discipline. Ideally, Hoag would like to produce a 100-page book on humanitarian wars he has been polishing since his last sabbatical.

Although Hoag has accomplished a great deal in his tenure, much is still left in his vision for the division. Hoag would like to observe a much more integrated use of what philosophy has to offer within the curricula of a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, chemistry, and the pre-professional programs. Hoag also thinks it would be beneficial to include some classes in feminist philosophy and philosophy of the environment. By incorporating new classes and integrating the existing ones into other disciplines, he feels like the philosophy program could spread what they have to offer to more students, enriching their personal and educational experiences, both during their time at Berea and throughout the rest of their lives.

Related Link

• Dr. Robert Hoag – Home Page

From November 13 to the 15, eight Berea College students traveled to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina to attend the 2011 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference. The conference was positioned in a beautiful setting, almost idyllic. The speakers focused their topics on “Poverty, Abundance, and Peace: Seeking Economic Justice for all God’s Children,” the theme of this year’s conference. The worship services were led by scholars from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds and traditions. The widespread premise in each of these beliefs is that concern for all God’s people is key to any sense of justice and peace. The speakers included Bishop Nkulu Ntambo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Michael de Kuany, one of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan; Rev. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World; and Rev. Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause.  Each of these speakers was engaging and inspirational. Each reinforced the tragic message of poverty around the world, yet each one brought a message of hope in caring for all God’s children.

Rabbi Philip Bentley

This eye-opening journey was made possible through the Peace and Social Justice Program, directed by Dr. Michelle Tooley (Eli Lily Professor of Religion) and Mrs. Ernestine Upchurch, a 1959 graduate of Berea College. Upchurch received her master’s in social work and then became a social worker in her home county of North Carolina. Upchurch contacted Tooley and said this was the kind of conference that would benefit Berea College students. Tooley said, “It connected to my Poverty and Justice class and so I thought this would be a wonderful learning opportunity for us all. The two most important themes I want students to learn from this conference are that policy has a human face and there are ways to solve injustice and violence in the world.” Most of the students who chose to attend had been involved in similar topics either through their academic classes, the Occupy Movement, protests and rallies or other programs.

Lwamwe Muzima is a sophomore political science major who works for the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) on campus. ESP’s mission is to provide a support system that assists students in achieving academic, personal, financial, social and career planning goals. Muzima recalled, “As an African student, I thought these were very relevant themes to my life and my community back home. I’m from the Democratic Republic of Congo and we are still experiencing the consequences of the recent war. Poverty is really visible. Through this conference I learned that third world countries don’t need food or money; they need to develop skills so they can rely on themselves and produce a better quality of living. I want to help the poor emerge and equip them with the skills necessary to help fight poverty.”

Tara Meadows is a junior agriculture major who was inspired to attend the conference because of the theme of abundance in a time of inequality. Meadows stated, “In the United States we see homeless people but we don’t see people who don’t have access to clean water, we don’t see the extreme poverty. I thought it would be interesting to see what experts had to say and what solutions can help combat these injustices.”

Jessica Roberge is a junior communication major who has been involved in campus protests and the Occupy Movement and feels strongly about solving poverty. Roberge said, “We are the leaders of tomorrow and we need to stand up and make a difference. By going to this conference I learned ways of standing up for what I believe in. We take what we have in the United States for granted, through the speeches I learned how important it is to live without unnecessary commodities and help others in need.”

Nicolas Cress is a transfer nursing major who has been exposed to various topics and pressing issues such as economic injustice and poverty. Cress explained, “I was inspired by the fact that it was interfaith, searching for a common ground amidst our religious differences. One of my favorite parts of the conference was when Rev. Bob Edgar said, “We are the leaders we have been waiting for.” He opened my eyes to a variety of solutions to combat injustice such as working for organizations like Bread for the World, becoming more involved in volunteering, protests and writing petitions to our government officials.”

Top, left-to-right: Nicolas Cress ’15, Ken O’Kaah ’14, Bottom, left to right: Mrs. Ernestine Upchurch ’59, Erica Cook ’13, Michelle Tooley, Jessica Roberge ’13

Sarah McLewin is a senior English major who has a vast experience with the themes and solutions presented at the conference. McLewin smiled and said, “It was nice to see how many Berea College students were ready to answer the question posed by Rev. David Beckmann, asking how can we reduce poverty? I was proud that students were able to give several different answers and not necessarily the conventional answers you would expect. These are students that have studied it academically and/or experienced it firsthand or through someone they know. Beckmann saw that Berea students stick out academically and through activism. It’s exciting to sit down with someone at that level and have a meaningful conversation with them. Berea College has prepared us for that.”

The ride back to Berea was serene. We carefully observed the fiery leaves as they fell to the ground, symbolizing what was yet to come. We thought of a time for change, a revolution that would end poverty and hunger in the world. We discussed our thoughts about the conference and came up with possible strategies to apply what we had learned to our Berea community and our hometowns. Coming from low socio-economic backgrounds and having experienced some form of poverty first-hand, these topics sunk deep into our minds and our hearts. The Peace Conference reinforced our knowledge, spread solidarity and offered us not only inspiration, but motivation to become the leaders we have been waiting for.

Related Links

• Lake Junaluska Peace Conference
• Bread for the World
• Common Cause

Forty-two students decided to sacrifice their weekend in order to embark on a journey to the city that never sleeps for one reason: they are the 99%. From October 7 through October 9, these students’ lives were transformed in more ways than one. For some, this was the first time they were leaving Kentucky. For others, this was the first time they participated in a protest and for the rest, well, we are college students searching for an ultimate understanding of life and its correlation to what we learn in our classrooms. Berea College taught us this. They taught us to speak our minds, to stand up for equality and what is right; they taught us to see both sides of the story and to never settle because we come from backgrounds with less opportunity. Truth is we belonged there. We felt empowered surrounded by people who were there because they, too, refuse to settle and together our voices were stronger.

Among the students who attended, Matt Jenkins, a senior art major, was heavily involved in advocating his reasons for being there. Jenkins recently studied abroad in Australia but finds his heart settled in Appalachia. Jenkins: “An older lady was keen to know why I was there. She emphasized ‘you’ when she asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ I stated I was here for Appalachia. I was here for the people that could not voice their opinions either because they were not able to come physically to do it themselves, or were afraid of coming because they could potentially lose their jobs. I told her, I was there to combat corporate greed by letting the world know that we, the people, were tired of fueling their machine. That’s when she stopped me. ‘Exactly,’ she said. ‘We’re not here to fight money, business or the economy. We’re here fighting greed. Greed is why I’ve come. It has to end.’”

Another student very involved in the movement and eager to make her presence understood, is Katherine Collins, a senior. A native Kentuckian majoring in women’s and gender studies, Katherine reflected: “Each and every one of our lives were changed by marches, by signs, by the people we shook hands with, by the interviews we did, by the answers we received and the questions we were asked. We were changed by the solidarity and unity, the communication and love surrounding Zuccotti Park. The Blue Crew became a sensation because we are privileged enough to have received an education at an incredibly revolutionary college, because we were able to articulate why we were there and why it was important that we got there even if it wasn’t easy.”

Duncan Blount, a junior communication major from North Carolina who participated in various marches and conducted many interviews with the media said, “The protestors, the dancing drummers, that homeless guy who now has found my toothbrush and Aqua Di Gio, all of them; I want to help! I intend, for now, to let people know why the corporate machine needs an oil change, and how legislation can stop corporate money from going where it shouldn’t, and straying from the hands who earned it. I will be spreading the message that Occupy Wall Street protesters are waving on cardboard signs: the 99% cannot be silent.”

The president of the Berea College Student Government Association (SGA) attended Occupy Wall Street, but not just because he felt it was his duty to assist the students, but also because he found himself eager to comprehend more about the situation and join others in spreading the news of being awakened. Sean Litteral, from Ohio, is a junior majoring in sociology and minoring in philosophy. Litteral was one of the persons directly involved in organizing and re-organizing the trip to Occupy Wall Street. In his reflection, he recalled, “So often it occurs that people are trained to view the American Dream as a reality; only to find out that when they awake, their reality was nothing more than a state of mind existing in unconscious sleep. The corporations, the banks, Wall Street, and the politicians have allowed us to exist in this unconscious state of mind; not waking us for fear that we might actually stand up, stand together, and challenge them. This movement, however, has awakened us from our slumber and has motivated us to move forward as brothers and sisters fighting for a common cause.”

Jessica Roberge is a junior communication major from Tennessee. She has a special interest in topics that involve peace and social justice. Jessica said, “I’m sick and tired of all the poverty that is caused by corporate greed and corruption. I felt that in order to make a difference I needed to go to occupy Wall Street where the heart of it is, where it started, to learn from it and take it to Berea in order to fight for our rights here. I learned that together people can make a difference. My eyes were opened to how fantastic people really are and how they still have hope. On Wall Street, the occupiers formed a community and they upheld their own system and I feel like we could all learn from that.”

Jacob Burdette, a freshman from West Virginia interested in anthropology, slept in a sleeping bag on a sidewalk of Zuccotti Park among nine other students, soaking in the real, full experience. “I can honestly say that this trip changed me and I feel that it is for the better. I didn’t really have a sense of empathy like I do now. I realize that we are all connected. We all have common things that tie us to one another. When I read the articles about the Occupy Wall Street movement, I was sympathetic. However, being there has made me realize that I wasn’t an outsider looking in; I was a part of these people.  I am the 99%.”

The bus ride back to Berea was a quiet one. Most of us could not sleep due to the excitement, energy and adrenaline running through our veins but also, because we knew we had made a difference. We stood in Zuccotti Park for hours, even days, chanting what we believed in. We stood for Appalachia, our parents and their struggles, Berea College and its foundation with a revolutionary history, but most importantly, we stood for ourselves and we stood together, as a community. This is what Berea College is, a community where “all peoples of the earth” can learn, work and serve together. Occupy Wall Street reinforced our sense of selves and allowed us a place where we felt camaraderie and solidarity. We were not afraid to use our voice and stand up for those who could not be there and we were noticed. Forty-two Berea College students had one of the best weekends of their lives being the 99%.

“The students are the best thing about teaching at Berea College,” says Linda Strong-Leek, Ph.D., Berea College professor and administrator. “I love seeing those changes, those light bulb moments when a student gets it.”

Linda Strong-Leek, Ph.D.,
Chair, Academic Division VI

Strong-Leek is the program coordinator of African and African American studies at Berea College, a professor of Women’s Studies, English, and General Studies, and the chairman of “Division VI” in Berea Colleges’ new academic organization. She has been teaching at Berea College for nine years and has grown to admire Berea’s unique personality. Berea College stands apart from most colleges in the state of Kentucky and around the world for its many distinctive policies, such as its practice of charging no tuition, its mandatory labor program, and its historical dedication to both racial equality and Appalachian prosperity. “I see myself in Berea College students,” Strong-Leek explains. “I am a first generation college student who grew up in poverty. I enjoy teaching at Berea because the students here do not have a strong sense of privilege.”

Strong-Leek’s journey to Berea was rather unorthodox. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at North Carolina Central University and earned her Ph.D. at Michigan State University. She first heard about Berea while studying in Zimbabwe as a Fulbright Scholar. There she met Berea College professor and current Director of Women’s and Gender Studies, Dr. Peggy Rivage-Seul. Strong-Leek and Rivage-Seul were both Fulbright scholars and had children around the same age. They became close friends and stayed in touch over the years. Rivage-Seul had advised Strong-Leek to apply as a faculty member at Berea College and a few years later Strong-Leek did. After her interview on campus, she returned home where a message was waiting offering her a faculty position at Berea College.

Strong-Leek has an indelible passion for teaching subjects that greatly inspire her, such as studies in “Women of Diaspora,” “African and African American,” and “Caribbean Women.” She is currently writing a book on Caribbean women writers and their respective representations of an ancient African river spirit found in cultures throughout the Caribbean.

Professor Strong-Leek relates to women who have experienced adversity in their lives and are able to overcome incessant struggles to prove their strength and determination. “I grew up in a family of really strong women. My aunt, who raised me, was really adamant about me being self-sufficient and being able to take care of myself. She made me think about what it meant to be a woman.”

When asked where she finds her inspiration to teach she said, “My senior high school teacher, Mrs. Hunley, was amazing. She made us learn. I can still remember lines from the great books.” Then, smiling, Strong-Leek recited lines from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. “During the conversations, Mrs. Hunley made the characters come alive and the topics current, and that is what I try to do when I teach literature—not just thinking about it as it happened years ago but what it means in our current context. A really great teacher can inspire you.”

Related Links

• Dr. Linda Strong-Leek faculty profile
• Amazon.com Linda Strong-Leek author page