PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Brandeis University is well-known as a campus that has historically spoken out against injustices in the realm of human rights and social justice. This campus is an excellent vessel through which students can make a difference. It is our objective to further propel students to take action in these issues. Many students want to get involved in causes of social justice, but do not know how or where to begin. This sense of unused passion coincides with the contemporary notion that Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, describes as being “in a world where there is a common lament that there are no more heroes, too often cynicism and despair are perceived as evidence of the death of moral courage”. We know this is not the case, especially not at Brandeis. The objective of the Week of Social Justice is to channel the passion of the Brandeis students to effect change. Through a partnership with the renowned Speak Truth to Power Organization founded by Kerry Kennedy, we wish to curate a series of events entitled Peace and Social Justice Week in October of 2008.

The mission of Peace and Social Justice Week is threefold: to raise awareness of social justice and human rights issues on campus; to enable students to enact change on a local and global scale; and to provide students with a scholarship to undertake a project related to studies of peace and social justice. Through the stepwise process of informing, connecting, and empowering, it is our objective to fully galvanize the passion of Brandeis students so they can effect powerful change in the local and international community.

The collaborative Brandeis/Speak Truth to Power Peace and Social Justice Week will feature events designed to inspire and propel the Brandeis community forward. The week begins with a student-produced play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ariel Dorfman based on interviews with over fifty human rights activists. Day two will mark the opening of an exhibition of powerful photographs taken over two years by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eddie Adams. On day three, talks by human rights defenders such as Bobby Muller and Marian Wright Edelman will be supplemented by a series of documentaries and student-faculty discussions. Day four will feature a social justice fair represented by local social justice organizations looking for Brandeis student volunteers. The final day will include a scholarship award show, giving two students $5000 to pursue a specific social justice/human rights project. In conjunction with the scholarship award show, a fundraiser with bands involved in issues of social justice will be run. These proceeds will be donated to an organization that will be chosen by a vote from the Brandeis community, creating a lasting experience for the community as a whole.

1. Why do you thin your proposal will benefit the student body at large?
The benefits of this collaborative effort between STTP and Brandeis are significant. STTP has an impressive track record of accessibility to a wide, popular audience and brings high-profile support for its human rights programs from leading world figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 8 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and former presidents Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton. We intend to bring this wealth of knowledge and insight to campus for the overall purpose of further improving the Brandeis community. The stepwise process of first raising awareness of social justice and human rights issues will lead to an incitement to discourse, thus ultimately resulting in positive action taken by the students and faculty. By providing the necessary tools and direction to an already motivated Brandeis community, our history has shown that profound changes will result.

As the planning and execution of the series of events outlined in the Peace and Social Justice Week is a large undertaking, we hope to involve as many student organizations as possible. Through the process of establishing connections between student groups, faculty, and departments, these connections can continue to grow and benefit the community.

2. Why and how do you think your proposal will benefit in short and long term?
The proposed Week of Peace and Social Justice has significant implications for both the present and future of the Brandeis community. Using the threefold approach outlined above, Peace and Social Justice Week will immediately raise awareness among students and faculty, as well as inspire the Brandeis community to effect change in the realm of social justice. The Speak Truth to Power photographic exhibition, play, and human rights defenders will serve as a powerful catalyst for a community that is already conducive to discourse on social justice and human rights injustices. Both the scholarships and funds raised during the scholarship award show will allow for immediate benefits to be seen in the greater Brandeis community. In addition, any funds not used during the Peace and Social Justice Week will be put towards an endowment that will fund the scholarship in the future.

Peace and Social Justice Week will establish lasting connections with local organizations, which will enrich the Brandeis community for some time to come. As more and more students participate alongside these local organizations, the insight and networking gained as a result will further enrich the community as a whole. In addition, a lasting dialogue between students and faculty will be opened to further encourage collaboration to achieve profound results.

3. Whom have you consulted for the proposal?
Katrin Macmillan
Director of Development and Producer
Speak Truth to Power
(646) 289-1773 katrin@speaktruth.org; katrinmacmillan@gmail.com

Caren Lipkin-Moore
Director
Jayme's Fund for Social Justice
(603) 785-7767 info@jaymesfund.org

Professor Sarita Bhalotra (bhalotra@brandeis.edu); Punk, Rock and Roll Club President Mike Riga (mriga@brandeis.edu)

4. Please list any peoplep we can contact as references in regards to your proposal.
Same as in number 3.

5. Any further explanations if necessary.
About Speak Truth to Power: Speak Truth to Power is a multi-faceted global initiative promoting a more just and peaceful world by galvanizing public support for international human rights through cultural, educational, and web-based programs. STTP has brought much needed attention to the courageous work of those who stand up for human rights through the book Speak Truth to Power, which showcases the lives of 51 men and women of courage from 36 countries and five continents. STTP has expanded to include the stirring photographic exhibition by Pulitzer Prize-winner Eddie Adams, a moving play by esteemed writer Ariel Dorfman, a PBS documentary film, and legislation passed by congress to enhance protection of human rights defenders world-wide.

In order to achieve the proposed events within the Peace and Social Justice week, STTP will provide all of the materials and wherewithal to produce the STTP photographic exhibit, play, and related events and activities on campus. We will invite and coordinate with STTP humanitarians and guest speakers, collaborate on the production of the play and forums, and curate the photography exhibition. STTP will also provide the university with design and print materials for the play, as well as the script, pronunciation guide, technological guide, producing instructions, and projection slides. These materials, combined with STTP’s oversight and production expertise will enable Brandeis to mount Ariel Dorfman’s play for as wide an audience as possible. STTP will also guide the university in reaching out to local human rights groups and organizations involved in issues of human rights/social justice on both a community and global scale.

About the Human Rights Defenders: Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), the foremost children’s advocacy organization in the United States, is one of the great inspirational leaders of our time. Edelman founded CDF, whose mission, "to leave no child behind, and to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life," reflects her tough-minded idealism. Under Edelman’s direction, CDF researches and disseminates information on legislation affecting the lives of children, and provides support and technical assistance to a network of state and local child advocates. Her capacity to transform rage into courage and action has made her a central figure in the quest for justice for the dispossessed in America over the last four decades.

Following his experiences in a decrepit veteran’s hospital during the Vietnam War, Bobby Muller become a leading advocate for veterans’ rights. Years later, as head of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, Muller traveled to Cambodia where he witnessed the devastating impact of land mines on the local population. He launched himself into this new cause with characteristic energy and determination and in 1997, his efforts, along with cofounders at the Campaign to Ban Land Mines, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS
- Itinerary
- Budget Breakdown

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