Peace Activist Visits in April

Linda Biehl

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Almost 15 years ago, on Aug. 25, 1993, a young American woman on a Fulbright Scholarship to South Africa, Amy Biehl, was pulled out of her car just outside Cape Town by a mob of angry youths, beaten and stabbed to death.

Two of the men convicted in her murder, Easy Nofemela and Ntobeko Peni, are now described by her mother, Linda Biehl, as close friends — “I love them,” she insists — and have rebuilt their lives as community leaders, aided in part by the Amy Biehl Foundation, dedicated to the memory of the daughter they killed. They call the victim’s mother “Makulu,” which means wise woman, and spread her daughter’s legacy as widely as they can.

How this remarkable tale of forgiveness and reconciliation came to pass will be part of Linda Biehl’s message to the UMass Lowell campus, when she arrives here this April as the first Greeley Scholar for Peace – and as a keynote speaker at the “A New Vision for Peace” forum, scheduled for Thursday, April 3 as part of Inauguration Week.

“Since founding the Amy Biehl Foundation, you have touched the lives of countless people, especially young people, in South Africa and beyond,” Interim Provost Don Pierson wrote in his invitation letter to Biehl. “Your example of forgiveness and your focus on conflict resolution and mutual respect show a way to break the cycle of abuse and violence. Through this good work your late daughter’s legacy endures.” 

The Greeley Scholar program, named for the Rev. Dana McLean Greely of Concord, honors a distinguished advocate for peace, noted humanitarian or faith leader, by offering a limited residency at UMass Lowell during one semester each year. It is administered by the UML Peace and Conflict Studies Institute (PACSI), which since 1991 has promoted “education, research and practice concerning peace and conflict issues” at UMass Lowell.

As this year’s designated Scholar, Biehl will be expected to participate in at least three public programs in area communities, and to speak in programs and courses on campus – in addition to her role in the “New Vision for Peace” inaugural program.

The Greeley Program is largely overseen by the provost, with support from Frank Talty, director of academic programs in the Division of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and by Paul Marion, executive director of outreach. Its primary contact at PACSI is Prof. Robert Gamache of the Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.