Kazu Haga
The Ashland Center for Nonviolence (ACN) at Ashland University welcomed Kazu Haga, an educator and practitioner in nonviolence and restorative justice, for a public lecture and workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 3-4. Both events were free and open to the public.
Haga has more than 25 years of experience teaching nonviolence, conflict resolution, restorative justice and mindfulness in prisons, faith communities, universities, high schools and youth groups around the country. Born in Japan, he migrated to the U.S. with his family at a young age. At 17, he went on the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage and was inspired to spend the next year living in monasteries in South Asia, studying Buddhism and nonviolence. He eventually became trained in Kingian Nonviolence, a methodology for conflict resolution based on the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., and dedicated his life to pursue its teachings.
“There’s a lot of ‘us vs. them’ thinking in our world today,” observed Craig Hovey, Ph.D., director of ACN and professor of religion at AU. “Kazu Haga shows us a better way.”
Drawing on his extensive experience practicing and teaching Kingian Nonviolence, Haga offers a compelling vision for peace that is neither passive or naïve. Instead, he presents nonviolence as a fierce, disciplined and relational practice, one capable of healing broken relationships, restoring communities and transforming unjust systems.
“It’s possible to recognize harm without reproducing it,” Hovey added. “We can also pursue justice through practices rooted in compassion, resilience and collective healing.”
Voices of the Land
The event, "Voices of the Land: Readings and Activities Inspired by Aldo Leopold," was held March 7 at The Davy Outdoor Education Center located at Tom Kruse Wildlife Conservation Park. It was a community partnership event in Honor of Leopold Week presented by The Ashland Public Library, Ashland County Parks District, and The Ashland Center for Nonviolence.
The special celebration invited community members to reflect on their relationship with the natural world and explore their land ethic through a series of engaging activities centered around Aldo Leopold's classic work, "A Sand County Almanac".
"A Sand County Almanac" is an iconic and important text with the power to reshape how we see the natural world around us -- not just as natural resources but as a community that we are a part of. Readings from "A Sand County Almanac" were held to enhance the connection between Leopold's work and the audience.
Attendees also received a complimentary copy of "A Sand County Almanac," and young explorers left with a nature-inspired picture book. The event also included a Storytime and craft session, perfect for participants of all ages to foster a love for the great outdoors. The event concluded with a nature walk, providing a firsthand experience of nature's beauty.
This event was made possible by the collective effort of Ashland Public Library, Ashland County Parks District, and the Ashland Center for Nonviolence. It was also, in part, sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, WI, with a mission to foster a land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold.
Roots Tour: Two Truths in One Heart, Two Peoples in One Land
The “Roots Tour” featured the speaking team of Khaled Abu Awwad and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger. They shared the inspirational Roots message, as well as their personal stories of how they each came to a place of respect and understanding and an eventual partnership in 2014.
Abu Awwad and Schlesinger are two of the co-founders of Roots, a joint Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking initiative. Roots envisions a social and political reality that is founded on dignity, trust and mutual recognition and respect for both peoples’ historic belonging to the Holy Land.
“The world desperately needs groups like Roots,” said Craig Hovey, Ph.D., director of ACN and professor of religion at AU. “They’re getting people to talk and listen to each other. They’re working for peace and understanding in a very dangerous and complicated part of the world."
Abu Awwad is among the leading figures in the Palestinian community working toward peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. He has been part of the founding of three groundbreaking organizations, has been awarded various international prizes for his projects, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of nonviolence and tolerance in 2011, and was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in 2010 by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.
Schlesinger, an Orthodox rabbi and teacher, lives in Israel and serves as the director of international relations for Roots. He also is the founder of the American Friends of Roots and frequently speaks in the United States. Schlesinger had previously spent his career teaching Jewish studies in various colleges and seminaries in the Jerusalem area, Boca Raton, Fla., and Dallas Texas. It was in Dallas where he first became interested in interfaith work, and there he founded Faiths in Conversation, a framework of Jewish-Christian-Muslim theological dialogue.
The Ashland Center for Nonviolence (ACN) at Ashland University welcomed them on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The event was free and open to the public.
