Tuesday, October 19, 1999
1,500 expected at peace meeting
An idea exchange in Wilmington
BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WILMINGTON — In the midst of a busy world where priority is tagged to things, not ideas, more than 1,500 people are expected to take a break Wednesday and talk about one of life's intangibles.
Peace.
For the ninth year, people from around the Tristate will gather at Wilmington College for the Westheimer Peace Symposium. During the daylong series of seminars, visitors will exchange ideas, challenge beliefs and work toward some common goals of social justice and equality.
This year, the focus is on environmental stewardship.
“Peace and the environment are very connected,” said Randy Sarvis, the college's director of public relations.
Environmental factor
Consider the Amazon rain forest, where Brazilians are killing one another over clear-cutting the rich timber, he said. An environmental awareness also could serve as a tool for peace.
Featured speakers include:
• Jan Schlichtmann, the lawyer who served as inspiration for the best-selling book and recent movie A Civil Action.
• Robert D. Bullard, an author, sociology professor and director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University.
• Steve Curwood, host and executive producer of the PBS series Living on Earth.
• Winona LaDuke, an American Indian activist, program director for Honor the Earth and a vice presidential candidate in 1996 for the Green Party ticket.
Begun decade ago
The symposium is a natural fit with the college's Quaker affiliation, Mr. Sarvis said. The liberal arts school was founded in 1870 by Quakers, whose defining principles include peacemaking, social justice, environmental stewardship and individual equality.
Charles and May Westheimer, prominent Cincinnati philanthropists, donated the seed money a decade ago to establish the symposium. The Westheimers still pay for a portion of the event, with the college paying the balance.
Many professors incorporate the symposium into lesson plans, bringing the issues back into the classrooms, Mr. Sarvis said.
Tickets are free for the seminars, which start at 10 a.m. Wednesday, but advance registration is necessary. For more information, call (937) 382-6661, Ext. 371.
Other events include a Peace Symposium Art Exhibition at the Boyd Art Gallery, The Peaceable Kingdom exhibit at the McCoy Room of Kelly Center, and Music for Peace, a 15-minute program before Ms. LaDuke's 7:30 p.m. speech.
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