By Brittany Baumgarten
The University of Louisville hosted its second annual Peace and Justice Week.
The festivities, held Oct. 23-27, took off with the Hood Peace Summit public debate series.
The series included debates about violence, war and Just Act Day.
The events were geared to promote a more peaceful community.
The Hood Peace Summit, an invitational event held in the Red Barn, was organized by members of the Ali Institute for Peace and Justice and community leader Sayheed Asante.
The summit was designed as a grass roots effort to affect violent neighborhoods by growing young leaders within the community.
Al Herring, executive director for the Muhammad Ali Institute, said, “There is an emergency, another young brother has lost his life and that has got to stop.” Herring said it is problems such as these that have sparked the movement, a movement to “get something done, bottom line.”
According to coordinators of the event, the Hood Peace Summit was created to bring people together who do not normally come together.
The committee’s main goal is to focus on issues taking place in the neighborhoods, and to make a positive, noticeable change to those particular issues.
“The result is to end violence, reshape communities, educate our youth, deal with issues on poverty, and understand the psychological conditions in various communities,”said Asante.
“There is hope,” said Herring. Even though results may take time, many are ready for real change.
Along with the Hood Peace Summit, the Ali Institute and the U of L Debate Team helped to kick off the Do No Harm Campaign.
The debate was held in the Chao Auditorium of the Ekstrom Library and it outlined and defined the six manifestations of violence present in our community, such as; domestic, community, political, hate, environmental and economic, and what change is necessary for the future and the hopes to end violence.
Unlike the Hood Peace Summit, the debate was open to the public.
Aaron Price, a senior political science and communication major said, “It is important to look at issues that affect us all, we must address the root cause.”
According to Price, these issues result in extended tension where we live and violence continues to be a serious problem on any level in Louisville.
“It is a problem that is underestimated and you don’t realize how it affects you specifically,” said Price.
Although violence is inevitable, change is possible. The debate was an opportunity to open the eyes of those present and to educate them that violence is all around us and to let it be known that change starts here.
