The 22nd Annual Kateri Peace Conference BENDING THE ARC:
Striving for Peace and Justice in a World of Endless War
AUGUST 21st and AUGUST 22nd, 2020 on ZOOM
Supported on ZOOM by WORLD BEYOND WAR
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The title of the 2020 Kateri Peace Conference and the recently released book, Bending the Arc: Striving for Peace and Justice in the Age of Endless War published by SUNY Press, is partially derived from Dr. King’s quote.
(Dr King's quote appears to be a "clever paraphrasing" from a sermon given in 1853 by Theodore Parker a transcendentalist and Unitarian minister. Get 30% Discount if purchased from SUNY Press within 30 days of attending the 2020 conference. Click here to register for the 2020 conference. Click here to order the book from SUNY Press.)
First and foremost the core understanding of the Kateri Peace Conference is that we cannot solve our problems by killing each other. This underscores the belief that the arc of history and its trajectory towards peace and justice is only made malleable by love and nonviolent action and will only be successfully achieved by our willingness to honor and practice truth, empathy, kindness and equality, as we recognize the beauty and worth of each individual.
“Bending the Arc” affirms our seminal and enduring hope that the application of these transcendent qualities of human consciousness (truth, empathy, kindness and equality) will dispel the divisive obstructions of fear and ignorance. When applied they create a lucid understanding of our oneness and the interconnectedness of all beings.
Our conference celebrates those voices which affirm that war and militarism, the outcome of fear and ignorance, can no longer be promoted and supported as an honored, viable or noble human endeavor. This year, perhaps more than ever, the call is clarion, the choice most clear: either end war and militarism or face environmental collapse. As one of the contributors to Bending the Arc, Steve Downs asks, “ How long can civilization survive, if we cannot learn to give up war and work cooperatively?”
In this light, we continue our journey to more effectively put our shoulders and will to the task of arc bending.
Literature which celebrates and affirms these values has always been the life blood of education. It is an essential ingredient to cultivating peace and justice and the sharing and shaping of human experience through the strength of wisdom learned.
Our book, ”Bending the Arc “ is a series of autobiographical explorations by long committed “ arc benders”, all of whom have spoken at past Kateri conferences. Their wisdom and work will shape our time together. Their voices resound with sagacity garnered through years of engaging in the struggle.
We are delighted to announce that all of the authors of the book will be participating in the first ever Kateri Zoom Peace Conference. We have invited these authors to return and talk about their ongoing work, their inspirations for their work and their hopes for the future.
We are excited about this year’s zoom conference. The arc of history bend towards peace and justice and now with the use of modern technology we can extend our reach world wide. Please join us as we nourish minds, heart and will together on Friday August 21 and Saturday August 22, 2020. If you have any questions please click here to Contact Us. Thank you!
