Bringing Books To Peace and Justice

In January, The Institute for Social Justice (TISJ), which was founded to provide innovative and practical solutions to address social justice issues around the world, announced the launch of its One Just World Book Circle Channel on YouTube. 

This initiative will feature book highlights, readings, illustrated audiobooks, reviews, author interviews, and more. The channel's kickoff included an illustrated audio reading of Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist, authored by David Hartsough and read in its entirety by Dr. Stewart Burns, chair of the Ethical and Creative Leadership program, and Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Studies interdisciplinary Ph.D. program faculty at the Cincinnati (Ohio) based Union Institute and University.

Hartsough was one of the founders of the Nonviolent Peaceforce along with World BEYOND War, a new global venture to end armed conflict: His memoir, the aforementioned “Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist,”  includes inspirational stories that educate and encourage readers to find ways to work toward a more just and peaceful world. 

Hartsough has spent his life learning, applying, and teaching methods of nonviolence to enact change. He has been a witness and participant in many key historical events that are shared in his memoir.

"This is a book that should be experienced by everyone," said Dr. Burns. "David Hartsough is one of the greatest peace leaders of our time, and the lessons, insights, and pleas for peace he makes need to be shared far and wide. I am pleased to lend my voice to the reading of his memoir and to work with TISJ to bring his book and message to a wider audience. The audio of the book reading has been synced with slides of over 300 photos that illustrate David's experiences and discussion points, which I feel really adds to the experience."

"We are honored to highlight David Hartsough and his memoir as one of the inaugural features in our Book Circle," said Betsy Martin, Executive Director, TISJ. "In a recent podcast interview with UI&U President Dr. Karen Webb, Mr. Hartsough said, 'Peace is dependent on justice, it must be built on justice.' We could not agree more. This is why TISJ exists, to provide the education, tools, resources, inspiration, and support for social justice. And of course, we share in David's hope for peace."

Despite the long road still ahead to achieve the peace he dreams of, he remains optimistic. "People all over the world are learning the power of nonviolent action and are building nonviolent movements to create change," said Hartsough. "That is very hopeful."

The One Just World Book Circle Channel will have continuous content added. In the queue for release in the coming weeks are additional readings by Dr. Burns, including from his Wilbur Award-winning book, To The Mountaintop, an intimate portrait of the Civil Rights Movement and its greatest leader, Dr. Martin Luther King as well as readings from the nationally acclaimed book Dear White Friend by Union alumnus, Dr. Melvin Gravely, II. 

The Book Circle will continue to grow throughout the year to serve as a scholarly and creative resource to build awareness of social justice issues and interventions.

Sarah Wallis, Coordinator of The One Just World BookCircle had this to say about the group’s primary aim and intent: 

“The One Just World Book Circle is intended to be a resource that will support individuals in diving deeper into the context and history surrounding current social justice issues. Long-term we anticipate providing books and author events on a range of topics including access to education, disparities in healthcare, the movement towards addressing social inequities, and other related topics.”

Wallis says that the initiative’s intent is to consciously select resources and materials to be inclusive and accessible to individuals at different levels of knowledge around issues of social justice.  

“As a team dedicated to inclusion and diverse perspectives, Book Circle topics will be far-reaching but allow for a deeper dive into topics that may be only mentioned in current media cycles. Literature and published research have long been a window into the experiences of others and through the ongoing cultivation of author events and an encompassing booklist we are working to broaden the knowledge of individuals and encourage them to take further steps to address inequalities in their own communities.” 

Asked about the role of books in building empathy and critical thinking, she had this to offer: 

“Empathy, or being able to relate to the emotions and experience of another human being, is an essential part of healthy personal relationships and social interactions. Without the capacity to see different points of view and accept them as valid, whether or not you agree with the perspective or opinion that is expressed by that point of view, individuals and societies would cease to grow and evolve.”

Wallis believes that Storytelling is one way that individuals can build empathy for others. 

“Books, as a form of storytelling, allow the reader to enter into another’s experience, see new worlds, and cultivate curiosity. This exploration occurs at a pace comfortable for the reader and within a low-risk environment which, in turn, aids an individual in processing, exploring, and accepting the new experience or perspective. The integration of knowledge and shifts in perspective strengthens and builds the skills of empathy and opens us to possibilities of growth and healing.” 

When asked about emerging trends in the social justice arena that the group hopes to highlight in order to fuel broader conversations through the Book Circle, Wallis had this to add: 

“The One Just World Book Circle and The Institute for Social Justice seek to highlight voices from historically marginalized communities. This will be reflected in a broad but intentional selection of authors and topics selected from community suggestions, faculty recommendations, and the knowledge of our book-loving One Just World team.”

“While we will focus on a wide range of social justice topics, the most pressing societal conversations are currently centered around racial injustice as it intersects with the criminal justice system, and ideas and threats about what Democracy is, both in the U.S. and abroad. We hope to support informed growth and dialogue in those areas by providing well-written and accessible resources on those topics and many more.” 

Initial content will focus on the experiences of authors such as Melvin Gravely, author of Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity in which he discusses his own realization of the personal and professional impact of race during his career as a successful entrepreneur and businessman and Dr. Paul C. Taylor, author of Race: A Philosophical Introduction, currently in its third edition. 

“We are also reaching out to authors who tell their immigrant story; the story of realizing that gender is not what we think it is, and those who highlight how social inequities impact everyone and therefore we all have a responsibility to contribute to a more just society.”