University of the Incarnate Word Peace Day

SEC is the Student Engagement Center

9:00 – 10:15 am, SEC 2030-2,
MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA
was started in 2012 and has spread to 50 states uniting people who seek sensible gun laws. The majority of the US population now want those and this is the time to ask legislators to listen the people. Come and learn more about the “public health crisis: seven American children or teens are shot and killed every day” and consider how to build political will. Learn more https://momsdemandaction.org/ Contact: texas@momschapterleaders.org

10:30 -11:45 am, SEC 2030-2,
Creative Writing: Empathy as a Means to Peace
Dr. David Armstrong, UIW Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing, will give a short reading, then open the rest of the time to questions and conversation regarding creative writing as a way of championing peace in the world. If you’re a creative writer (or would like to be), this is also an opportunity to ask questions about getting your work out to a larger audience and to discuss craft concerns regarding empathy and the imagination. www.davidarmstrongwriter.com

12 noon – 1:15 pm, SEC 2030-2,
Nazi Racial Policy, 1933-1945: From Persecution to Extermination
by Dr. Roger Barnes, UIW Professor of Sociology, will examine Nazi policies on Jews and other “undesirables” before and during WW II.  He will explore how stereotyping, stigmatization, and hate fueled the Holocaust. Finally the audience will be invited to explore how some of these forces are manifest in today’s society. Contact: barnes@uiwtx.edu A UIW Interfaith Literacy and Service event http://uiw.edu/eccl/interfaithiteracyandservice/ Free soup lunch provided by the Student Dietetic Association.

1:30 – 2:45 pm, SEC 2030-2,
Gilgamesh as Call to Action: Feminism, Marxism, and Moral Agency in the World
shared by Dr. Benjamin C. Miele, UIW Assistant Professor of English. The Epic of Gilgamesh, an Akkadian poem that originated in the area now called Iraq about 4500 years ago is considered the earliest great work of literature. Dr. Miele will present on the relevance of Gilgamesh to our own time and how feminist and Marxian readings of that ancient epic can inform ethical decision-making in the present. While ancient literature from Iraq is considered, a contemporary exhibit from Iraq will be on display throughout the day, “Iraqi Women of Three Generations: Challenges, Education, and Hopes for Peace” http://peacecenterbooks.com/iraqi-women/ Created by Sister Martha Ann Kirk.

3:00 – 4:15 pm, SEC 2030-2,
Would you have tried to stop the Jewish Holocaust? What are you doing in the face of Rohingya Crisis now?
An outbreak of violence against a Muslim group called Rohingyas in Burma (Myanmar) started in 2012. Many have been killed or displaced and this has led to more than 500,000 terrified Rohingya refugees fleeing and going to Bangladesh. Dr. Lopita Nath, Assistant Professor of History, will lead a panel considering this crisis and the call to respond. A UIW Interfaith Literacy and Service event http://uiw.edu/eccl/interfaithiteracyandservice/ Contact: nath@uiwtx.edu

4:30 pm, Mabee Library Auditorium,
Immigrants and Social Justice: A Theological Response
by Dr. Neomi DeAnda, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Dayton, Mabee Library Auditorium. Dr. DeAnda is an El Paso native and alumna of St. Mary’s University and Oblate School of Theology. She combines scholarship, ministry, and activism. She is offering a similar lecture in Spanish at Oblate School of Theology on Oct. 24, 2017 https://ost.edu/events/los-migrantes-una-respuesta-teologica/.

6:00 – 7:00 pm, SEC 2030-2,
Girls Leadership San Antonio (GLSA)
shared by Claudia Garcia, Ph.D., Women’s Global Connection Associate Director of Community Engagement.
Girls Leadership San Antonio (GLSA) provides opportunities for expanded collaborative learning to bridge the local and the global perspectives of women’s issues. GLSA builds girl leaders for today; girls who are ready to take action in their communities, to inspire their peers, and to journey towards assertive, authentic, and confident self-expression. WGC is expanding the initiative to include partners in Tanzania; further enriching the experiences of local participants which establishing new avenues of conversation and information sharing. GLSA is an initiative of Women’s Global Connection and annually organize the Girls Global Summit https://www.womensglobalconnection.org/programs/girls-education/girls-global-summit/ Contact: Dr. M. Alison Buck 210-828-2224 wgc.mabuck@gmail.com