This Week In Common

Local author Jean Harper and storyteller Jennie Kiffmeyer worked with 2nd graders at Crestdale Elementary in Richmond to increase literacy through photography projects, “creating tangible links between people and people, people and place, all of which strengthen the fabric of community.”

Join us for poetry at Peace Forum on Thursday, November 20 12-1:10 in the seminary dining room. David Ebenbach, teacher of creative writing at Earlham, will discuss community projects where he has brought in poetry as a way to connect people. Food for mind, body and soul.

Last summer Earlham College students Syed Mafiz Onik KIamal and Ishmail Sheriff Daoh organized an eight-day art workshop for war-affected children in Daoh's hometown of Freetown in Sierra Leone. Syed and Ishmail were awarded the Kathryn Wasserman Davis "100 Projects for Peace" grant to carry out their idea.
As always, good food and good company.

This week's Peace Forum will feature singer and song writer Bill Joliff. Please join us for some fun. As always, good food and good company, too.
Look for announcements of Bill's other presentations on campus.

This week we will ponder the possibility that the 2008 election will be stolen. The evidence is clear that fraud turned the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections and altered the 2006 mid-term election. Lonnie Valentine will present some of this evidence, showing video clips from the documentary "Uncounted." Also, we will discuss what to watch out for in the upcoming election.

There will be no Peace Forum on Oct. 16 because of mid-semester break, but join us on Oct. 23 when Melissa Hill will talk about the role of third parties in US politics. Melissa has worked for the third party campaign of Ralph Nader and has studied the role of third parties in US political history.

Join us this week for a presentation by Aaron Nell, director of the Richmond Conflict Resolution Center, on how mediation relates to security.

Join us this Thursday, Oct. 2, 12-1:10pm, for a presentation on seeking security in Palestine/Israel. Our presenter, Margaret Hawthorn, recently spent several months at the Ramallah Friends School teaching writing and listening to stories. She is a graduate of the School of Religion and now is working on editing a collection of the stories she heard.

For this week, Peace Forum will focus on the concept of "community policing." This approach to policing emphasizes building community connections between police and neighborhoods. Bobby Lipps from the Richmond Police Department will join us to talk abut how Richmond is applying this idea. Join us for a nice lunch and great conversation.

Join us this Thursday for another thrilling Peace Forum. Michael Jackson, Earlham College professor of psychology, will discuss how psychologists have been involved in overseeing the administration of torture (i.e. "extreme interrogation techniques").

Please join us for or next Peace Forum. Welling Hall, Assoc. Professor of Politics and International Studies at Earlham College, will address our theme of security from the international perspective.
Last week, about 60 people came to Forum, so join the fun! Good food and always excellent company.

Cathy Athofer will kick off our series on "the psychology of security."
Cathy is the director of Earlham's Campus Safety and Security,
where she has earned a great reputation for the department.
She will also share with us from her doctoral work on Dearborn MI,
where the police's positive relationships with the large
Arab-American population led to greater safety after September 11.

After the rise of convocation around 12 noon this Thursday, August 28, please join us for the first Peace Forum of this semester in the seminary dining room. We will have introductions of one another as well as a peek at upcoming presentations. Peace Forum is jointly sponsored by Bethany and ESR and we also invite students from Earlham College and the Richmond community to attend.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with Peace Forum throughout this year! Your cooking, cleaning and devotions facilitated a year of sharing and learning together. Making Peace Forum happen together has been a blessing!
Trayce Peterson
Travis Poling
Susan Lee Barton
Steve Angell
Rena Holcrumb
Phil Baisley
Paul Eckert
Nathan Sebens
Micki Graham
Matt McKimmy
Mark Pickens
Lee Saylor

Cliff Kindy, from Christian Peacemaker Teams, will share about his experience in Iraq. Cliff has spent much of the past five years working in Iraq with CPT, and will talk particularly about his work with Muslim Peacemaker Teams.
Join us for free lunch and delicious conversation!