Annual Midwest Peace and Justice Summit - Working Together for Peace and Justice

Friday, April 4

4:30 - 5:30 pm: Statewide Peace Rally in front of the Federal Building (Corner of Pennsylvania and Michigan).

7:30 - 9:30 pm: The summit will host a a dramatic presentation entitled:

Theatre of Social Change: Impacts and Importance

featuring selections from The Nobodies: Stories of the Child Soldiers in Uganda; a presentation of the impacts and importance of theatres of social change from Novox Theatre Group; a discussion with Sabina Stella Santana, author of Out of a Dark and Narrow Tunnel: A Struggle to Be and Ugandan native; and a question and answer session with the cast and production team of The Nobodies.

This event will be held on the fourth floor of the new Campus Center building across the street from Cavanaugh Hall. Just take the escalator to the top floor.

Saturday, April 5

8:00 - 9:00 am: Registration; a light breakfast will be offered.

The IPJN will also be hosting a meeting from 8:00 am to 9:00. Location to be determined.

9:00 - 10:30 am: The first Summit plenary session will be held discussing

The Next Steps to End the War in Iraq

in room IT 167.

Moderator will be Charlie Wiles, Peace Learning Center.

Speakers will be Harry Targ, Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Committee on Peace Studies at Purdue University; Vincent J. Emmanuele, Iraq Veterans against the War, Indiana Chapter; and Steven Wyatt, Campus Anti-war Network, Illinois Chapter.

10:45 - 11:45 am: The first workshop session will consist of four different workshop options and one video screening:

  (1) The Need for a Department of Peace (IT 162)
            By: Kathryn Hessler
  (2) The Tao of Peace (IT 164)
            By: Jim Wolfe
  (3) The Humanitarian Crisis in Burma (IT 160)
            By: the Indianapolis Peace Institute
  (4) The Iraqi Displacement Crisis: In Their Own Words (IT 167)
            By: Charlie Wiles
  (5) Video Screening of "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan" (IT 267)
            By: Iraq Veterans Against the War

12:00 - 1:00 pm: A free lunch will be offered at the summit. This will also be an opportunity for informal reports and commentary from activist groups.

1:15 - 2:45 pm: The Summit’s second plenary session will discuss

The Role of Progressive Activism in the 2008 Elections

in room IT 152.

Speakers will be Ken Zeller, President of Indiana AFL-CIO; Bill Blake, Progressive Democrats of America, Illinois Chapter; and Lori Perdue, CODEPINK, Indianapolis Chapter.

3:00 - 4:00 pm: The second round workshop sessions will consist of six different workshop options:

  (1) Human Rights and Collaborative Activism: Abolishing the Death Penalty (IT 273)
            By: Debby Peddie of the Indiana Information Center for the Abolition of Capital Punishment and Amnesty International
  (2) Indiana Healthcare Initiatives (IT 160)
            By: Julia Vaughn, Mark St. John and Eric Wright
  (3) Indiana Clean Elections: Putting People Power Back into Our Democracy (IT 162)
            By: Nick Hess
  (4) Socialism is the Only Answer to All of Today's Problems (IT 274)
            By: Ronald Haldeman
  (5) Counter-Recruitment (IT 267)
            By: Libby Frank, AFSC, Chicago Chapter
  (6) Stop I-69 (IT 167)
            By: To Be Announced

4:15 - 5:15 pm: The third workshop session will consist of four different options and one video screening:

  (1) The Steady State Economy for Environmental Protection, National Security and International Stability (IT 160)
            By: Greg Buck
  (2) The Justice for Janitors Campaign for Socioeconomic Justice (IT 162)
            By: Leslie Mendoza-Kamstra
  (3) A New Perspective on Peak Oil - The Evolving Phenomenon Which Has Defied Equitable Resolution of Resource Wars
        in Iraq and Globally (IT 274)
            By: David Pilbrow
  (4) Fair Mart vs. Mall Mart: True Security in a Violent Culture (IT 273)
            By: Jim Goetsch
  (5) Video Screening of "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan" (IT 267)
            By: Iraq Veterans Against the War

5:30 - 6:15 pm: The Summit will be hosting a pizza dinner on-site.

6:30 - 8:00 pm: The Plowshares Keynote Lecture: this year’s distinguished lecturer will be Professor George Wolfe of the Ball State University Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. It will be held in room IT 152. The title of his address is:

Non-Violence as a Spiritual Path: How to Become More Dangerous Dead than Alive.