Peace Teach-In

9AM
Everyone Came from Somewhere: A Brief History of Migration to the U.S. and Those Who Were Welcomed and Not Welcomed
Presenter: Suzanne Akhras

With the rising anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment that has been so prevalent in the last 10 years, people seem to forget that they too have an immigrant story. Whether your ancestors came on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution or in the last 150 years for economic or political reasons, everyone has an immigrant story. There were groups who were integrated into society easily and those who were not welcomed. I will explore the different waves of immigrant immigration to the U.S. and how laws were put into place to decide who was welcomed!

10AM
International Students and International Education Professionals: Grasping for Community, Security, and Belonging in the Midst of a National Ideological Shift
Presenter:Angie Rodriguez

With over 1.1 million international students in the U. S. (Source: Open Doors), international students contributed $43.8 billion+ to the U.S. economy during AY2023-24 (Source: AAU, NAFSA).Historically, strengthening U.S. national security through interpersonal international relationships has been a cornerstone of the U.S. foreign policy,and international education has been one of the most important “exports” and diplomatic initiatives. With the recent uncertainties surrounding U.S. immigration policy, student visa holders and university staff who support them will answer a series of panel questions on this topic and the importance of community and finding “belonging”in this new era.

11AM
Roots and Ruptures:Immigration, Intergenerational Trauma, and the First-Gen Experience
Presenter: Dr. Lili Burciaga

This interactive workshop explores the psychological and cultural impact of U.S. immigration policies—like the Bracero Program—on immigrant families,examining how intergenerational trauma shows up in the lives of first-generation Americans. Through storytelling, guided reflection, and dialogue,participants will connect history to present-day experiences and leave with strategies to support healing and advocacy within their communities.

12PM
The Doctrine of Discovery and Its Implications for Contemporary Reconciliation
Presenter: Rev. Daniel Torson

The Doctrine of Discovery from 1493, united Catholic monarchs in their pursuit of conquering the New World with the Church’s mission of evangelizing new peoples. Empowered by this dual purpose, the period of Western colonization began, resulting in the pacification and/or destruction of many Indigenous cultures of the Americas. Recent efforts of reconciliation byte Church and some national government shave sought to restore justice and build a new relationship with Indigenous peoples.

1PM
Effectively Contacting Elected Officials
Presenters: Dr. Justin Delacour, Dr. Laurette Liesen, Dr. Steven Nawara

This interactive workshop will cover how to effectively contact and lobby elective officials to advocate for policy changes. Time will be allocated to determine the officials who are well-positioned to address the specific policies that participants care about and to work on crafting persuasive appeals.

2PM
Crossing Lines: Professors Reflect on Borders, Belonging, and Exclusion
Presenters: Br. Sheferaw Bezabih, FSC, Dr. Joanna Maravilla ,Dr. Micheal Dieter, Dr. Elvira Pichardo, Dr. Erica Dávila

This panel brings together faculty from diverse disciplines to reflect on the personal, professional,and political ways borders and boundaries shape our lives and institutions. Through storytelling and critical conversation, we will explore who is marked as ‘immigrant,’ who is rendered ‘unwelcome,’and how academic and national borders reinforce systems of exclusion, racism, and oppression—while also considering how we might reimagine these boundaries toward justice.

6PM (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
Film Screening: “Where Olive Trees Weep”
Convocation Hall, St. Charles Borromeo, Room 130
Facilitated: Dr. Shireen Roshanravan

This powerful documentary offers a poignant starting point to discuss Indigenous struggles under colonial occupation, centering Palestinian voices—especially women and children—living under Israeli rule. Director Zaya Benazzo will join for a post-screening Q&A on trauma, resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice and liberation

9:30AM
Faithful Witness: Palestine,Power, and the Practice of Seeing Otherwise
Presenters: Dr. Shireen Roshanravan; Prof. Huma Zia; Prof. Khaled Alzoubi

This session will offer tools for developing the practice of faithfully witnessing, in the sense articulated by Maria Lugones—bearing witness against the grain of power and dominant narratives. Through the lens of Palestine, we will explore what it means to witness realities that have been occupied, erased, and genocided. Participant swill cultivate skills in identifying the limits of institutionalized forms of knowledge, reading multiple and conflicting realities, and engage in the “practice of brokenheartedness” (Ann Russo)as a site for collective reflection, unlearning, and deepened ethical engagement.

11AM
The Living Newspaper and/or Satire and Parody for Social Change
Keith White Black Box Theatre
Presenters: Annie Calhoun (and students)

People in the process of re-entry to the community and society face complexity and many daunting challenges. We will listen to their stories in order to start building bridges of welcome with our returning citizens so that they can thrive and contribute to our communities and society.

12:30PM
Refugee Simulation
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Tello Buntin

During this session, participants will simulate the experiences of a refugee family and their journey in search of a safe community. This simulation is based on materials developed by Catholic Relief Services in order to encourage understanding of the lived experiences of refugees around the world.

2PM
Words Without Borders
Presenter: Rocio Rodriguez

Participants will engage in translanguaging poetry to explore multilingual expression and identity.

9AM
Who Belongs Here? The Making of Who Gets to Be“American” Through Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Presenter: Dr. Jung Kim, Dr. Elvira Pichardo, Dr. KellyVaughan

Despite the belief that children’s literature is simple or only surface-level, contemporary quality children’s literature deeply engages with issues of immigration, home, colonialism, and identity. After a short introduction, participants will work in small groups using a variety of children’s and young adult literature to examine how issues of immigration, belongingness, and identity are re/presented. We will then have a whole group share out and discussion of what the groups discover.

11AM
The Continuing Necessity for Deimperialization
Presenter:  Nathan Luis Cartagena

Through a communal analysis of Louis Dalrymple’s1899 political cartoon “School Begins,” participants will better understand the U.S. historic andon-going racial imperialism, along with the continuing need for the U.S. deimperialization. I will lead this communal conversation as a Puerto Rican (and so a colonial subject) and race scholar committed to decolonization, deimperialization,and liberation for all.

8th Annual Gros Memorial Event

Sarah Augustine

From 2017-2022, she directed a Dispute Resolution Center in Central Washington. She has served on the faculty at Heritage University,Central Washington University, and Yakima Valley College, and has served as Adjunct faculty at Goshen College. Sarah received a BA in Sociology and Psychology (1996) and an MA in Whole Systems Design with an emphasis in group conflict transformation (2006). She has represented the interests of Indigenous community partners to their own governments, the Inter-American development bank, the United Nations, the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,The World Council of Churches, the World Health Organization, and a host of other international actors including corporate interests. Sarah lives with her family in Tacoma, Washington.

PART I

12PM-1PM
100-year Vision for Dismantling the Law of Colonialism

The Doctrine of Discovery is a body of law and policy that was adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1823. This legal doctrine frames the structural architecture for settler colonialism in the U.S. and around the world. The Coalition to DoD works to embody a social movement of Christians to undo in the name of Christ what has been done in the name of Christ. This talk will describe our work that spans multiple generations to imagine and to build a world that does not yet exist

PART 2

1PM-2PM
Organizing for Systems Change and Repair

What are practical tools for engaging in concrete systems change and repair?This hour will explore organizing at the community level today, and in the years to come.

2PM
Book Signing of Sarah Augustine
The Land Is Not Empty

Registration is required for the Gros Memorial Event.

NOTE: This event is free for current Lewis University students, faculty and staff to attend but requires advance registration by everyone whether attending in person or live-streaming the keynote virtually.

Registration