What Makes for Peace? - Berea College

There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions. —Artwork and quote from print presented in 2005 to President Shinn by George Giffin ’66, and Yusif BarakatStudent Profles in PeaceLT LSimply put, we must be at peace within ourselves and among ourselvesif we expect to be mentors and leaders who contribute toa more peaceful world. It is tempting to look beyond ourselvesand our own communities when we seek to understand howpeace in Jerusalem or the Middle East can be won. We cannotneglect to identify in ourselves and our community some of thevery same human tendencies that have resulted in the escalationof conflicts around the globe today. We must be mentors andmodels of peacemaking for ourselves and our students.Berea’s lofty mission sets the standard and points the way. We must useour differences, disagreements, and occasional conflicts as authentic learningexperiences that yield positive outcomes in order to be the leaders and teachers ourstudents need for a world torn asunder by conflict-ridden families, communities, and nations—includingour own. If the world is to know peace, it must begin with each of us and in our local communities.That was at least part of the message Jesus expressed to his contemporaries from the Mount ofOlives as he wept over Jerusalem 2000 years ago, and that is where my meditations took me thispast June.So how would I answer my own question, “What makes for peace?”Very simply, it is us.Geri Guy, ‘08History & African/African-American StudiesGeri Guy, of Greenville,South Carolina believes thatmaking a difference meansbeing willing to leave one’scomfort zone. This is not aphilosophy; it is a way of life.After her freshman year at Berea, she spent two summers as campcounselor at Hiram House Camp near Cleveland, Ohio. Geri quicklylearned that these inner city kids, aged 5-13 years, had experiencedhomelessness, abuse, abandonment, and more trauma in theiryoung lives than she ever imagined. What she found challenged andchanged her. “These children were an inspiration. I hope they gotfrom me half of what I received from them.”The experience at Hiram House Camp redirected her academicfocus. She now manages an after school program for Foley MiddleSchool students in Berea. Geri and five Bonner Scholars engagestudents in projects that teach cultural awareness, civic duty, andsocial action. Believing it is never too young to be engaged in one’slife, she encourages her protégés to write their legislators aboutimportant issues. In a “Theatre of the Oppressed” event last year shehelped these students to write, act, and lead discussions on theatricalpieces that dealt with social injustices. She has brought internationalstudents to speak and share their cultures with her group.Geri volunteers with the Madison County First Book program,encouraging parents and children to read together. Like her mother,Brenda Williams Guy, ’80, Geri edits Onyx, a magazine about theNotable Milestones, Places, and PeopleJuly 2005Dr. Richard Cahill, MiddleEastern studies scholar,joined the College asDirector of InternationalEducation. Previously, hewas the senior advisor forAmericans for a Just Peace inthe Middle East.September 2005A homespun fair kicked offthe College’s celebrationof 150 years of learning,labor, and service.Berea College andits partner schoolsin Estill, Jackson, Lee,Madison, and Rockcastlecounties will receiveover $17.2 million fromGEAR UP (Gaining EarlyAwareness and Readinessfor Undergraduate Programs)over the next six years. TheGEAR UP partnership was thelargest federal award of its kindand will serve 3, 575 students andtheir parents, 719 teachers, and 14schools.August 2005U.S. News and WorldReport named BereaCollege the Best ComprehensiveCollege fora bachelor’s degree inthe South for 2006. Inthe last 20 “Best College”surveys conducted byU.S. News magazine, Bereareceived 18 noteworthycitations and has beennamed #1 comprehensivecollege in the South for thelast 8 years. Princeton Reviewselected Berea College as one ofeleven new entries for The Best361 Colleges.U.S. Senator Jim Bunningpresented Berea Collegewith a check from the U.S.Department of Educationfor nearly $500,000. Thegrant funds equipmentupgrades to Berea’stechnology, physics,chemistry, biology, andpsychology departments.At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love. —Martin Luther King, Jr.black experience published through the Black Student Union. Anavid writer who calls her journal work “a healing,” her long-termgoal is to become a teacher and author.The Jessie Ball DuPont Fundawarded the College $60,000to support a SustainabilityCoordinator and to supportthe Sustainability andThrough all of her activities she hopes to encourage people to lookbeyond stereotypes. “People need to look at each other. It seemsto be that we claim to want diversity, but no one takes steps towardEnvironmental Studies(SENS) program, whicheducates students and thelarger community aboutdiversity. It’s time for that to stop,” Geri says. “We need to understandthat there should always be unity in community. You never knowwho you’ll connect with until you sit down with them.”the balance between currentand future needs of thenatural world, society, and theeconomy.