Register to Attend 

View Session Descriptions

Conference Program

2021 Conference Schedule

All times listed are in the Central Time Zone

(Sessions listed as ‘virtual/hybrid’ will be held in-person and also streamed live via Zoom. Links will be emailed to all registered attendees and presenters before the conference begins.)

FRIDAY, October 8, 2021

• 9:00 – 5:00pm: PJSA Board Meeting [LEC 103]
• 12:00 – 5:00pm: Registration [1st floor LEC]
• 9:00 – 12:00pm: Pre conference session  – Institute for System Change [Registration required] [Cunningham 495, 4th floor]

• 1:00 – 2:30pm:  Session 1 
  • Room 1: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Health and Food Justice (Chair: Anne Dressel)  [LEC 209]
    • “Advocating for Food Justice”, (Michael Chadukiewicz, Nova Southeastern University)
    • “Grappling with Food, Environmental Justice and Health Inequities: Some Lessons from Philadelphia”, (Ashley Gripper, Harvard University & Alex Otieno, Arcadia University) 
    • “We Lack Peace in Our Hearts: The Ethics of Hunger”, (Anne Dressel, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee) 
    • “Food as Grounds for Peacebuilding”, (Rebekah Akers Hanson & Christina Campbell, Iowa State University)

• • Room 2: Workshop – Power of Plain Language to bridge gaps in health equity: Advancing health literacy through critical praxis [KEN 1130]
    • Holly Nerone, Cardinal Stritch University
    • Patricia Becker, Cardinal Stritch University
  • Room 3: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Peace Education (Chair: Sarah Foust Vinson) [LEC 211]
    • “Empathetic Citizens: The Role of Service-Learning”, (Christine Henke Mueller, Cardinal Stritch University) 
    • “Exploring Peace and Justice in a Community Engaged Senior Capstone Course”, (Sarah Foust Vinson and Emily Marcou, Cardinal Stritch University)
    • “Education and Peace Agreements”, (Khalil Dokhanchi, University of Wisconsin – Superior) 
    • “Somatically-Based Solutions for Peacebuilding”, (Monica Anna Day, Arcadia University)
  • Room 4: Panel – Promoting the health of minoritized communities – community health nursing as it applies to Milwaukee (Chair: Sarah Morgan) [KEN 1150]
    • Sarah Morgan, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Scott Anderson, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Cassandra KW Hoelzl, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Laura Roberson, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Sofia Sandoval, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
  • Room 5: Workshop – Teaching Peacemaking Undergraduate Reports from the Future (Kelly Rae Kraemer, St. John’s University) [KEN 1160]

• 3:00 – 4:30pm: Session 2
  • Room 1: Panel – Defending Against Anti-LGBTQ Legislation: Suggestions for Advocacy [KEN 1130]
    • Mark Carrol, University of Mount Union
    • Amanda Waltz, University of Mount Union

• • Room 2: Virtual/Hybrid Roundtable – Confronting the limits of liberal peacemaking (Chair: Matt Meyer) [LEC 211]
    • Anthony Dest, Lehman College
    • Matt Meyer, International Peace Research Association
    • Magdalene Moonsamy, Africa Peace Research and Education Association

• • Room 3: Workshop  – Collaboration between indigenous and university communities [LEC 107]
    • Mike Klein, University of St. Thomas
    • Kailey Corder, University of St. Thomas
    • Vivian Ikeri, University of St. Thomas
    • Nancy Cervantes Sanchez, University of St. Thomas
    • Isabelle Spooner, University of St. Thomas
    • Olivia Wong, University of St. Thomas

• • Room 4: Film – The Westlawn Partnership for a Healthier Environment (Derek Johnson & Maren Hawkins, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee) [KEN 1160]

• • Room 5: Virtual/Hybrid panel – A Paradigm Shift in Collaboration to Prevent Eviction (Chair: Joanne Lipo Zovic) [LEC 209]
    • Amy Koltz, Mediate Milwaukee
    • Joanne Lipo Zovic, Mediate Milwaukee/University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Raphael Ramos, Eviction Defense Project
    • Deb Heffner, Community Advocates
    • Heiner Giese, Apartment Association of Southeast Wisconsin
    • Tim Ballering, Apartment Association of Southeast Wisconsin

• 4:30 – 5:30pm: Dinner Break

• 5:30 – 6:00pm: Conference Welcome [LEC Atrium]
  • Land Acknowledgement
  • Presentation by Big Drum, Minowakiing Biizhiwag Dewei’gan (Milwaukee Panthers Drum), a student performance of Ojibwe language through song.
  • Kim Litwack, Dean, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing
  • Mandela Barnes, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
  • Lynne Woehrle, Program Director, Peacebuilding Programs, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
• 6:00 – 7:30pm: Opening Keynote featuring Venice Williams, Executive Director, Alice’s Garden [LEC Atrium]
  • NOTE: This session will be streamed via Zoom.

SATURDAY, October 9, 2021

• 8:00 – 4:00pm: Registration
• 8:30 – 10:00am: Session 3
  • Room 1: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Gandhi and Conceptualizing Peace and Violence (Chair: Matthew Johnson) [LEC 211]
    • “The Primacy of Mind in Gandhi’s Core Distinction: Rethinking the Terminology of “Violence” and “Nonviolence”, (Todd Davies, Stanford University) 
    • “Influences on Gandhi’s Concepts of Peace and Nonviolence, and Gandhi’s Influence on Later Practitioners of Nonviolence in the Gandhian Tradition”, (Linda Groff, California State University)
    • “Aurobindo Ghose’s Critiques of Mahatma Gandhi’s Early Mass Mobilization”, (Ted Ulrich, University of St. Thomas) 

• • Room 2: Roundtable – Linking Social Network Analysis and Transformative Justice to Prevent Gun Violence [KEN 1150]
    • Theodore Lentz, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
    • Jane Hereth, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
  • Room 3: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Peace and Justice Narratives in the Shadow of Covid 19 (Chair: Gabriel Ertsgaard) [LEC 209]
    • Gabriel Ertsgaard, Peace and Justice Studies Association
    • Kirk Johnson, Drew University
    • Kyra Whitehead, Wenzhou-Kean University
    • Kadeem Gayle, Drew University
  • Room 4: Panel – Addressing Trauma (Chair: Jeremy Rinker)  [KEN 1140]
    • “Compassion Cafe: Trauma-Informed Empathic Approaches to Teaching”, (Sarah Madoka Currie, University of Waterloo)
    • “Trauma-informed Response to Community Legacies of Violence: Refocusing Peace Work on Trauma and Emotions to Level Health Disparities”, (Jeremy Rinker, University of North Carolina Greensboro) 
    • “Transforming Trauma: Exploring an Exemplarist Moral Theory”, (Paul Jeffries, Ripon College) 
    • “Compassionate Courage in Identity-Based Conflicts”, (Pushpa Iyer, Middlebury Institute of International Studies)
  • Room 5: Workshop  – Refugee for 50 minutes (Khalil Dokhanchi, University of Wisconsin – Superior) [LEC 107]

• • Room 6: Workshop – Engaging citizens to build equity and inclusion in majority white suburbs [KEN 1160]
    • Ann Heidkamp, Tosa Together
    • Aaron Schutz, Tosa Together
    • Erica Turner, Bridge the Divide
    • Lynne Woehrle, Tosa Together

•  10:30 – 12:00pm: Plenary One – Local Health Initiatives (Chair: Timothy Ehlinger, UWM) [LEC Atrium]
  • Trevonna Sims (21st Street Coop)
  • Hannah Bessenecker (21st Street Coop)
  • Antonio Butts (Walnut Way Innovation and Wellness Commons)
  • Paul Williams (Housing Authority City of Milwaukee-Fresh Food Council)
    • NOTE: This session will be streamed via Zoom.

• 12:00 – 1:30pm: Lunch Break & PJSA Membership Meeting
  • PJSA members are welcome and invited to get food in the university union, and eat together while we discuss association business [LEC 103]

• 1:30 – 3:00pm: Session 4 
  • Room 1: Workshop – Creating Space to Converse World Cafe Dialogues as Student-Led Pedagogy (Chair: Amy Finnegan) [KEN 1150]
    • Amy Finnegan, University of St. Thomas
    • Kailey Corder, University of St. Thomas
    • Vivian Ikeri, University of St. Thomas
    • Amelia Reed, University of St. Thomas
    • Nancy Cervantes Sanchez, University of St. Thomas
    • Isabelle Spooner, University of St. Thomas
    • Olivia Wong, University of St. Thomas

• • Room 2: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Public Narratives and storytelling (Chair: Michelle Collins-Sibley) [LEC 209]
    • “Survivor-Witness Narratives: Transgenerational Remedies to Historical Injustices”, (Roy Tamashiro, Webster University)
    • “Black is Beautiful and Traumatizing: Stories of Everyday Trauma in Toni Morrison”, (Michelle Collins-Sibley, University of Mount Union)
    • “The Right to Health: Representations in Peace Museums”, (Joyce Apsel, New York University)
    • “Being moved by art: exploring the influence of art on interfaith empathy in Indonesia”, (Melanie Nyhof, Carthage College, Izak Lattu, Satya Wacana Christian University & Shannon Gegare, Carthage College)
  • Room 3: Panel – Militarization & Extremism in Society (Chair: Michael Loadenthal)  [KEN 1160]
    • “Mobilizing America and the “Asymmetry of Threat Perception”, (William French, Loyola University of Chicago)
    • “Cracked World: All the cracks into which things fall”, (Suzanne Holt, Kent State University)
    • “Disrupting an Apocalyptic Narrative: Cautions and opportunities”, (Joel David Elliot, Brandeis University) 
    • “Murder and the Military, How Society is Distorted in an Age of Empire”, (Robert Reuschlein)
  • Room 4: Panel – Intersections of Inequality and Health (Chair: Julia Snethen) [KEN 1140]
    • “Racism’s Impact on Child Health: Exemplar Childhood Obesity”, (Julia Snethen, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Growing a healthy future: Gardening during pregnancy to cultivate peace”, (Gretchen Feldpausch, Iowa State University)
    • “Setting New Priorities: Reimagining the US healthcare system”, (Eliza Livingston & Kate Schmidt, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
  • Room 5: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Disability & Healthy Equity (Chair: Laura Finley) [LEC 211]
    • “Re-engineering Prosthetic Limbs to Achieve Social Equity for Persons Living with Disabilities”, (Obasesam Okoi & Natalie Ebel, University of St. Thomas) 
    • “Building Back Better: Why Disability Communities are Vital to Health, Equity, and Rebuilding”, (Art Blaser, Chapman University) 
    • “Improving Health and Equity in those who live with disablement and infirmity”, (Sheryl Holt, University of Mount Union) 
  • Room 6: Roundtable – High-Risk Advocacy: Shaping institutionalism toward progressivism (Brooke Moreland, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) [LEC 107]

• 3:30 – 5:00pm: Session 5
  • Room 1: Panel – Refugee & Immigration Health (Chair: Sarah Foust Vinson) [KEN 1150]
    • “Refugee Well-being in times of Pandemic: A Comparative Ethnography of the Effects of COVID-19 in the Rohingya Refugees Resettling in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Fort Wayne”, (Helal Mohammed Khan, University of Notre Dame)
    • “High Needs School Leadership and Learning: A Case Study of Best Practices in Meeting the Academic, Social, and Emotional Needs of Recent Refugee Children in a Norwegian Elementary School”, (Mette Baran, Cardinal Stritch University & Glady VanHarpen, Cardinal Stritch University)
    • “Promoting Health Equity among Older Adult Immigrants in the United States”, (Maren Hawkins, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Peacebuilding through health and equity and spatial transformation in North Carolina”, (Zulfiya Tursunova, Guilford College)

• • Room 2: Workshop – Peacemaking Careers [KEN 1140]
    • Chris Jeske, Marquette University
    • Parisa Shirazi, Marquette University
  • Room 3: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Reimagining Health (Chair: Niki Johnson) [LEC 209]
    • “Highlighting Health Inequities to Reimagine and Reframe Global Health Challenges”, (Alex Otieno, Arcadia University)  
    • “Introduction to social determinants of health”, (Beth Canfield-Simbro, University of Mount Union)
    • “QAnon is not crazy nor are its adherents: Suppose there IS a conspiracy”, (Gordon Fellman, Brandeis University)
    • “Post-Pandemic Problems & Solutions”, (Gracyn Sage, University of Mount Union)
  • Room 4: Panel – Defining Success: The Development and Experience of a Holistic, Therapeutic, and Restorative Approach to a Behavioral Reassignment Program in Schools [KEN 1160]
    • Willie Maryland, Marquette University
    • Drew deLutio, Milwaukee Public Schools
    • Emily Nolan, BLOOM
    • Valerie Becke, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
  • Room 5: Virtual Panel – Use and Abuse of Anger in Social Change [KEN 1180]
    • Amanda Smith Byron, Portland State University
    • Shayla Betts, Saybrook University
    • Joy Meeker, Saybrook University
      • NOTE: This panel will feature only online presenters. In-person attendees may participate but must supply their own laptop/phone.

• • Room 6: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Intersectionality & Military Draft (Chair: Sebastian Muñoz-McDonald) [LEC 211]
    • Sebastian Muñoz-McDonald, Dartmouth College
    • Rosa del Duca, Truth in Recruitment speaker
    • Rivera Sun, CODEPINK
    • Edward Hasbrouck

• 5:00 – 6:00pm: Dinner Break
• 6:00 – 8:00pm: Awards Ceremony & Keynote  [LEC Atrium]
  • PJSA Awards Host: Ellen Lindeen, PJSA Awards Chair
  • WIPCS Awards Host: James Handley, Executive Director, WIPCS
  • Keynote speaker: Dr. Adia Benton, Northwestern University
    • NOTE: This session will be streamed via Zoom.

SUNDAY, October 10, 2021

• 8:00 – 2:00pm: Registration 
• 8:30 – 10:00am: Plenary Two – Defining the Critical Need for Health Equity (Chair: Peninnah Kako) [LEC Atrium]
  • Fernando De Maio (American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity)
  • Linda Sharp (Doctors for Global Health)
  • Victor Ochen (African Youth Initiative Network)
    • NOTE: This session will be streamed via Zoom.

• 10:30 – 12:00pm: Session 6
  • Room 1: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Racial and Gendered Justice  – Part 1 (Chair: Michelle Collins-Sibley) [LEC 209]
    • “Social Justice, Modern Technology and Global Protest: Understanding the size of the George Floyd demonstrations”, (Jessica Hitch, Fusion Academy Dallas)
    • “Artificial intelligence and bias: Emerging issues for lie detection, predictive policing, and university cheating detection initiatives”, (Jo Ann Oravec, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater)
    • “Reproductive rights in Puerto Rico: Sterilization, contraception, and reproductive violence”, (M. Estrella Sotomayor, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Confronting Deep Racism: Challenging White Theory Supremacy with Global Social Thought”, (Lester Kurtz and Mariam Kurtz, George Mason University)

• • Room 2: Panel – Restorative Justice (Chair: Amy Finnegan)  [KEN 1140]
    • “Creating spaces for formerly incarcerated voices: Advancing peace through community-based restorative justice”, (Allely Albert, Queen’s University Belfast)
    • “Health Keeps Us Safe”, (Amy Finnegan & Amelia Reed, University of St. Thomas)
    • “Victim-Offender Mediation with Currently Incarcerated Individuals and Families”, (Michael Rust, Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center)
  • Room 3: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Museums for Peace: In search of history, memory, and change (Chair: Roy Tamashiro) [LEC 211]
    • Roy Tamashiro, Webster University
    • Joyce Apsel, New York University
    • Kimberly Baker, University of British Columbia
    • Shiho Maehara, Kyushu University
    • Satoko Oka Norimatsu, Peace Philosophy Centre
    • Kazuyo Yamane, Kyoto Museum for World Peace

• • Room 4: Panel – Economics of Health (Chair: Paul Jeffries) [KEN 1160]
    • “Prosperity without growth: Rethinking non-materialistic understandings of prosperity and well-being”, (Paul Jeffries & Anna Przybelski, Ripon College)
    • “Role of income generation activities in sustaining peer support groups for HIV positive women in Kenya”, (Peninnah Kako, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Vamos a la Milpa”: A project in Honduras addressing environment, health, community, and the roots of the migration crisis”, (Gail Presbey, University of Detroit Mercy)

• • Room 5: Workshop – Trauma Responsive Community Change [LEC 107]
    • James “Dimitri” Topitzes (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • Deborah Ann Davis (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)

• 12:00 – 1:00pm Lunch Break

• 1:00 – 2:30pm: Session 7
  • Room 1: Panel – Covid, Public Health, and Responses (Chair: Matthew Sargent) [LEC 107]
    • “Theoretical Foundations of Health Equity”, (Cam Marsengill, the University of Iowa)
    • “Covid 19 in Wisconsin: Response and Reactions”, (Maren Hawkins, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Public Health, Critical Theory, and Democratic Futures:  Exploring “Participatory Paternalism,” its Justification, and Potential Contributions”, (Matthew Sargent, Madison College)

• • Room 2: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Racial and Gendered Justice  – Part 2 (Chair: Chris Peters) [LEC 209]
    • “Background checks in student admission and community placement: Public protection or performance piece?”, (Christopher Peters, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee)
    • “Listening to love: Understanding the good religious perspective offer in the pursuit for racial justice”, (Kailey Corder, University of St. Thomas)
    • “Teaching Racial and Gendered Justice in a Living and Learning Community and
      First-Year Undergraduate Seminar”, (Kevin A. Hinkley and Dave Reilly, Niagara University)
  • Room 3: Virtual/Hybrid Panel – Reclaimative post conflict justice: Democratizing justice in the World Tribunal On Iraq (Chair: Dale Snauwaert) [LEC 211]
    • Dale Snauwaert, University of Toledo
    • Janet Gerson, International Institute on Peace Education
    • Jeff Warnke, Walsh University
  • Room 4: Workshop – Our Tomorrows and Covid 19: Mapping inequity and enhancing response [LEC 103]
    • Keil Eggers, George Mason University
    • Ariana Nasrazadani, University of Kansas

• 2:45pm: Closing Gathering & Send off [LEC Atrium]