KC conference will give us the tools to build meaningful peace
In a country and city rife with political and racial discord and division, it’s comforting to know that many Kansas Citians are hard at work building bridges and planting the seeds of peace in our community.
Indeed, Kansas City is a hotbed of peacebuilding activity. For example, consider two current initiatives — one that seeks to raise the profile of peacebuilding, and a second that recognizes area peacebuilders and encourages others to emulate their efforts.
One initiative recently underway, the eighth annual Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference, seeks to put peacebuilding in the spotlight and to empower Kansas Citians to become peacebuilders themselves. The conference, spread out over three months this fall, features the theme, “Building Peace through Social Justice.” Conference co-organizer Dr. Tom Patterson, director of international education at Johnson County Community College, presciently selected the social justice theme even before the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests that began this spring. Patterson said, “Social justice is the bedrock of peace — for individuals, communities, and nations. It is one of the main conditions necessary in building sustainable peace. So, when you hear someone say, ‘No justice — no peace,’ it’s not a threat; it’s a statement of fact.”
Usually held on three area college campuses, the peacebuilding conference this year is on Zoom. The conference kicked off on Sept. 9 with my presentation, “Partisan Media Narratives: Impeding Social Justice.” The next gathering will be held on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, and will feature journalist and multicultural educator Lewis Diuguid discussing “Disinformation, Civil Rights Protests, and Social Justice.” Regarding his presentation, Diuguid said, “The disinformation that the public is getting about the protests is that they have all devolved into violence and unrest, which is not the case. What that does is dissuade many people from joining the protests to insist that Black Lives Matter.” Diuguid also plans to discuss what he sees as the divisiveness of President Donald Trump’s “law-and-order” campaign.
Other conference presenters read like a who’s who of local bridge-builders, including Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas; Rev. Dr. Vernon Howard, president of the Kansas City Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Kansas City councilwoman and president of the Black Health Care Coalition Melissa Robinson; Rabbi Doug Alpert, a member of the Missouri state committee of the Poor People’s Campaign; and Eric Garbison of Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House. These presentations and others will underscore the notion that sustainable, positive peace is impossible without first addressing deficits in social justice.
The peacebuilding conference is sponsored by JCCC and the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University. The public is welcome to attend. For a complete list of events and to register for free, go here.
In addition to the conference, Kansas City is a peacebuilding hub thanks to the efforts of numerous dedicated individuals and organizations. Individual peacebuilders are honored every year by the United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City with their World Citizen of the Year award, given to area residents who serve others and promote peace. Past winners include an august assemblage of peacebuilders including Mariya Dostzadah Goodbrake, founder of Global FC, a football league for refugee girls and boys that also provides mentoring, language and other services to the children and their families; Brad Gautney, who established nursing programs in Africa; Sofia Khan, physician and founder of KC For Refugees and a prominent advocate for refugees; and Abdul Bakar, Della Lamb refugee settlement director.
The 2020 World Citizen of the Year is peacebuilder Melinda Minks, one of the organizers of the Ethnic Enrichment Festival and a board member of the Sister Cities Association. Her nominator Irina Kobzeva-Pavlovic remarked, “Melinda is passionate about the world, global peace and understanding, global education and sharing. She is passionate about providing the proper resources to the local community. Melinda’s commitment to being a global leader and her love for the world are invigorating and unmatched. The world would not be the same today, if not Melinda’s incredible contributions.”
In these turbulent times, peacebuilders are more important than ever. We’re fortunate in our community to have Minks, her World Citizen of the Year colleagues, and the eloquent speakers at the Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference inspire and empower us to do our part to improve our city and our world.
Steven Youngblood, a 2020 Luxembourg Peace Prize laureate, is director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University, where he is a communications and peace studies professor.
This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "KC conference will give us the tools to build meaningful peace."