The 2022 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies – Soe Myint

The Day Without Violence Lecture with Soe Myint
Moloney Hall, University Crossing
The Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance Conversation with Soe Myint
Register for the Zoom webinar.
The Day Without Violence has been held at UMass Lowell for more than 25 years. Since 2008, the keynote speaker has been that year’s Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies. The Scholars we have welcomed have included two Nobel Peace Prize winners, a Tang Prize winner, and a winner of the Order of Companions of O R Tambo.
Sponsored by: the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute; Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance; the Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies Advisory Board; the Peace and Conflict Studies Program; Political Science Program; UMass Lowell Office of the Provost; Protestant Campus Ministry; and the African Community Center of Lowell.
In 1996, the Day Without Violence (DWV) was launched by what was then the Peace Studies Association. At one time, the DWV was held annually at more than 100 universities and colleges throughout the United States. The DWV was introduced to UMass through the work of the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute (PACSI). The Day Without Violence is held in early April to commemorate the April 4th anniversary of the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rev. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to support the striking sanitation workers.
For the Day Without Violence on campus, we have, through the years, had such activities as organized lectures, group discussions, interactive skits, a multi-faith celebration, and training workshops (such as: Alternatives to Violence Project; cross-cultural exercises; Help Increase the Peace Project; and study circles). In collaboration with the city of Lowell and Middlesex Community College, we have hosted teen dances at neutral sites.
Day Without Violence topics have included: family violence; violence in humor; race, social class, and gang violence; mediation; public policy and prisons; GLBTQ and Allies; death penalty; hate crimes; white privilege; gendered violence; environmental injustice; the challenge of landmines; war and terrorism; human rights; and racial and ethnic stereotyping.
Since 2008, the Day Without Violence keynote speakers have been that year’s Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies. Students area high schools have participated in these Day Without Violence programs.