Fania Davis to Lead Free, Public Events on Restorative Justice
03/08/2021
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Civil rights leader Fania Davis, UMass Lowell’s 2021 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, will be in virtual residence at the university next month, when she will lead the annual Day Without Violence and other free events for the campus and community.
Davis, who came of age amid the social and political turbulence of the 1960s, pursued her path as a justice-seeker and healer after the murder of two of her childhood friends. She will deliver the Day Without Violence keynote address “Restorative Justice, Racial Justice and Peace Building,” online on Tuesday, April 6 at 12:30 p.m.
Davis will also lead “The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice: Resources for Cultivating Peace in Our Communities,” a virtual event presented by UMass Lowell and the Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance on Thursday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m.
“Dr. Davis’ work to address racial inequality and to break the endless cycle of harm and violence is unique and is more urgently needed than ever. I believe her visit will open a productive and healthy dialogue across people with different political beliefs and make a meaningful and positive impact on the university community, as well as local policymakers, service providers and law enforcement agencies,” said UMass Lowell Prof. Ardeth Thawnghmung, chair of the Political Science Department and co-chair of the Greeley Scholar Board.
Davis’ virtual residency at UMass Lowell will cap the university’s yearlong Greeley Peace Scholar Speaker Series on Race and Social Justice, which unites scholars, students and the community in free, remote discussions that illuminate the Black experience and the history and struggle for racial equality. Upcoming programs include:
- “The 2020 Presidential Election and Race in America,” with Jane Junn, an expert in political participation, and Christina Greer, an authority on Black and urban politics. UMass Lowell’s Mona Kleinberg, assistant professor of political science, will moderate the event, which will be held on Thursday, March 18 at 2 p.m. Members of the public who would like to register to attend should visit the Greeley Scholar Race and Social Justice website.
“We are excited to have Dr. Fania Davis as UMass Lowell’s 2021 Greeley Peace Scholar. Given how much the Black Lives Matter movement has raised consciousness about systemic racism and what we need to do to make change, Dr. Davis’ residency is particularly timely in showing us what restorative and racial justice and true peace can look like,” said Sue Kim, associate dean of undergraduate studies of UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and member of the Greeley Scholar Board.
Greeley Scholars are selected for their achievements as humanitarians and their efforts promoting peace and conflict resolution at the local, regional, national or international level. With the honor, Davis joins distinguished past recipients who include Nobel Peace Prize winners Tawakkol Karman and Leymah Gbowee. A list of past scholars is available on the Greeley Scholar website.
The honor is named for the late Rev. Dana McLean Greeley, who was a longtime Unitarian Universalist minister in Concord. The Greeley Scholar Program is funded by the Greeley Endowment for Peace Studies, established with a gift from the Dana McLean Greeley Foundation for Peace and Justice and a contribution from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts via the UMass Foundation. In addition, this year’s programs are sponsored by UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
UMass Lowell is a national research university offering its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu