GCU welcomes peace activist David McReynolds
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Is political nonviolence and radical pacifism effective or utopian? How can social justice and racial equality be achieved? What is the obligation of citizens? Explore these questions and more at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, March 10 and 11 with David McReynolds, a radical pacifist and democratic socialist leader and activist who has championed peace, justice, civil liberties, civil rights, and human rights for six decades.
GCU welcomes him for two events: a keynote address on “The Other Vietnam War Commemoration: Reflections on the Antiwar Movement, 1965–2015” March 10, at 7 p.m., and “Six Decades of Peace, Justice & Civil Liberties Activism,” a public interview with Scott H. Bennett, Ph.D., GCU professor of history, March 11, at 11 a.m.
“David McReynolds’ message of political nonviolence, social justice, and racial equality remains relevant in a world torn by war and violence,” said Dr. Bennett. “Some ask how nonviolence can be effective in a world where ‘Islamic State,’ ‘Ukraine,’ ‘Ferguson,’ and ‘Paris’/’Copenhagen’ emblazon newspaper headlines; others—including David McReynolds—wonder how, in a world stocked with nuclear, chemical, and biological WMDs, violence won’t inevitably lead to human destruction.”
During the Vietnam War, Mr. McReynolds was the War Resisters League’s (WRL) major spokesperson and represented the WRL on the major antiwar coalitions. He has committed civil disobedience on many occasions and, in 1965, burned his draft card at a New York City demonstration—one of the first public draft-card burnings after such acts were made a felony. In 1980 and 2000, he ran for U.S. president on the Socialist Party USA ticket. He has also run for Congress on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket (1968) and for the Senate on the Green Party ticket (2004). He is among the peace movement’s most powerful speakers.
Both events are sponsored by the GCU Department of History, Geography, and Politics and will take place in the Little Theatre on GCU’s historic Lakewood campus. Admission is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by contacting the GCU Office of Conferences and Special Events at 732.987.2263 or [email protected].
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Is political nonviolence and radical pacifism effective or utopian? How can social justice and racial equality be achieved? What is the obligation of citizens? Explore these questions and more at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, March 10 and 11 with David McReynolds, a radical pacifist and democratic socialist leader and activist who has championed peace, justice, civil liberties, civil rights, and human rights for six decades.
GCU welcomes him for two events: a keynote address on “The Other Vietnam War Commemoration: Reflections on the Antiwar Movement, 1965–2015” March 10, at 7 p.m., and “Six Decades of Peace, Justice & Civil Liberties Activism,” a public interview with Scott H. Bennett, Ph.D., GCU professor of history, March 11, at 11 a.m.
“David McReynolds’ message of political nonviolence, social justice, and racial equality remains relevant in a world torn by war and violence,” said Dr. Bennett. “Some ask how nonviolence can be effective in a world where ‘Islamic State,’ ‘Ukraine,’ ‘Ferguson,’ and ‘Paris’/’Copenhagen’ emblazon newspaper headlines; others—including David McReynolds—wonder how, in a world stocked with nuclear, chemical, and biological WMDs, violence won’t inevitably lead to human destruction.”
During the Vietnam War, Mr. McReynolds was the War Resisters League’s (WRL) major spokesperson and represented the WRL on the major antiwar coalitions. He has committed civil disobedience on many occasions and, in 1965, burned his draft card at a New York City demonstration—one of the first public draft-card burnings after such acts were made a felony. In 1980 and 2000, he ran for U.S. president on the Socialist Party USA ticket. He has also run for Congress on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket (1968) and for the Senate on the Green Party ticket (2004). He is among the peace movement’s most powerful speakers.
Both events are sponsored by the GCU Department of History, Geography, and Politics and will take place in the Little Theatre on GCU’s historic Lakewood campus. Admission is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by contacting the GCU Office of Conferences and Special Events at 732.987.2263 or [email protected].
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