Regional Peacebuilding Conference Holds at Park University in Kansas City Area
The Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference is set to take place virtually this year, co-hosted by Park University and Johnson County Community College. The conference, titled "Building Peace Through Social Justice," is happening due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The conference will feature eight virtual presentations spread across three months, starting from Wednesday, September 9, at 2 p.m. Steve Youngblood, director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism and associate professor of communication arts at Park University, will kick off the first presentation. Youngblood will discuss partisan media narratives about social justice issues, such as recent protest movements, and how media can unite instead of divide.
On the same day, at 1 p.m., Rabbi Doug Alpert, of Congregation Kol Ami, Kansas City, Mo., will present "Comprehensive and Effective Approach to Black Lives Matter and Addressing the Needs of All Marginalized Communities."
The following week, on Monday, September 21, at 1 p.m., Lewis Diuguid, president of Kansas City Association of Black Journalists, will present "Disinformation, Civil Rights Protests and Social Justice."
On Thursday, November 4, at noon, Rev. Eric Garbison, director of Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House, Kansas City, Mo., will present "Solidarity Not Charity: Building Peace Through Mutual Aid and Faith Activism."
Thursday, November 5, will see two presentations. Melissa Robinson, president of Black Health Care Coalition and member of the Kansas City, Mo., City Council, will present "Economic Mobility: A Framework to Achieve Health Parity" at 12:30 p.m. Later in the day, at 6 p.m., Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Mo., will present on "Gun Violence."
Rounding off the conference, Rev. Vernon Howard Jr., D.Min., president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, will present "The Pathology of American Racism: New Millennium Causes, Symptoms, Cures" on Thursday, November 5, at 11 a.m.
Tamanna Salikuddin, director of South Asia programs at United States Institute of Peace, will present "Social Justice in South Asia: A Tradition of Resistance and Current Challenges" on Wednesday, October 7, at 2 p.m.
For those interested in virtually attending any or all sessions of this year's conference, information and registration can be found at jccc.edu/conferences/peacebuilding. If you need assistance in finding more detailed information about the virtual presentations and speakers from the Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference 2020, we recommend checking the official KIPCOR website or their event archives, contacting Bethel College or KIPCOR directly, or reviewing any press releases or news coverage from that time period.
- The conference "Building Peace Through Social Justice" at the Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference, although primarily focused on education-and-self-development and general-news, also touches upon politics as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas will present on "Gun Violence."
- The presentation by Tamanna Salikuddin, director of South Asia programs at United States Institute of Peace, offers insights into education-and-self-development and politics, as she discusses "Social Justice in South Asia: A Tradition of Resistance and Current Challenges."
