FEBRUARY 6-10
UPDATE
The February 9 evening event featuring Masih Alinejad will now take place via Zoom. Click here to register for this virtual event.
GENDER
EOUITY
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Empowerment and Solidarity in the Struggle for Justice
In a world in which divisiveness and conflict dominate headlines, we will uplift the stories of women and girls leading for peace, human rights and dignity for all — sometimes risking their very lives in the process.
Through a variety of speakers and assemblies, queries and workshops, our community will examine ways in which the Quaker testimony of equality manifests in the lives of women and girls who reject gendered expectations of their behavior, their words, and their aspirations and in doing so, inspire, galvanize and lead others toward vital change.
Keynote Speaker
Iranian Journalist and Activist
Masih Alinejad
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Via Zoom
Interviewed by Lauren Sandler (P '26)
While the current movement in Iran has rightly gained the international spotlight, our featured Peace Week speaker, Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, has been an outspoken critic of the compulsory hijab for years. She garnered worldwide attention when she began her My Stealthy Freedom campaign in 2014, launching what became the largest civil disobedience campaign to challenge the compulsory hijab laws in the Islamic Republic.
Masih’s incredible courage and commitment to truth compel her unbreakable spirit and fearless activism. She fights for the rights of women and girls all over the world and serves as a remarkable example of civic engagement, commitment to democratic freedoms and dignity for all.
Please note: This event is free and open to current students, parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty, staff, trustees and members of the 15th Street Meeting and New York Quarterly Meeting.
Interviewer
Journalist and Author (P '26)
Lauren Sandler
Lauren Sandler is an award-winning journalist and author. She has reported on gender and inequality from the Baghdad to the Bronx. Her essays and investigations have appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and New York Magazine. She has been a commentator throughout broadcast media, including NPR, where she began her career as a producer. Lauren’s most recent book is the bestselling This Is All I Got: A New Mother’s Search for Home, about a young homeless mother in New York, named a Notable book of 2020 by the New York Times. She’s currently working on a book examining how the US has arrived at the precipice of civil war through the family story of a Christian nationalist pastor and his left-wing kids. She lives in Brooklyn with Justin and Sam Lane, Class of ’26.
FEATURED EVENTS
Click on a day above to view activities planned.
In a world in which divisiveness and conflict dominate headlines, we will uplift the stories of women and girls leading for peace, human rights and dignity for all — sometimes risking their lives in the process.
Through a variety of speakers and assemblies, queries and workshops, our community will examine ways in which the Quaker testimony of equality manifests in the lives of women and girls who reject gendered expectations of their behavior, their words, and their aspirations and in doing so, inspire, galvanize and lead others toward vital change. There is perhaps no better current example of this than the courageous protest movement in Iran, led by its women and girls. Their bravery and their determination to gain basic human rights has caused the global community to stop and pay attention.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Excerpt from United Nations' Goal #5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls // Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022
ABOUT PEACE WEEK
For nearly two decades, Friends Seminary has set aside a week devoted to the study of the Quaker testimony of Peace. This observance calls the whole community to reflect on Peace as it relates to a pressing global or national challenge. Through classroom activities, division-wide programs and all-school events, students, parents/guardians, faculty and administrative staff deepen their understanding of core values, sense of social and environmental responsibility and skills for bringing about a world that ought to be. Punctuated annually by an evening speaker, Peace Week brings to campus an intellectual and moral leader of great influence whose visit catalyzes deeper reflection and conversation.
2022
LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK
Simran Jeet Singh
2021
TELL ME WHO YOU ARE
Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture & Identity
Winona Guo
Priya Vulchi
2020
OUR CLIMATE, OUR FUTURE
David Wallace-Wells
2019
JUSTICE AND MERCY
Transforming Conflict into Connection
Bryan Stevenson
2018
SEEKING REFUGE
The Ethics and Politics of Migration and Immigration
Sonia Nazzario
2017
THE NEW AMERICA
Listening Across the Divides
George Packer
2016
LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK
Chelsea Clinton
2015
A PATH APPEARS
Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunites
Nicholas Kristof
Maro Chermayeff
2014
LEGACIES OF PEACE
Choosing to Use the Gift of Our Lives to Make the World a Better Place
Maggie Doyne
Neil Blumenthal '98
Dr. Oliver Rothschild '98
2013
BUILDING BRIDGES
Peace Through Understanding
Teri McLuhan
2012
PEACE LIKE A RIVER
Water as Matter and Metaphor
Michael Arad
2011
EDUCATING FOR PEACE
Friends Seminary and 225 Years of Quaker Education
Steve Emerson
Irene McHenry
Bruce Stewart
2010
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
The Economics of Peace
Jeffrey Sachs
2009
IN THE PRESENCE OF JUSTICE
The Politics of Peace
Mary Robinson
2008
WAR LETTERS
Both Said and Sung
Ethan Hawke
Julianne Moore
Elizabeth Palmedo
Crystal Sikora
2007
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
A Pathway to Peace
James Turrell
2006
NONVIOLENCE IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM
Arun Gandhi
2005
THE DIPLOMAT, THE ACTIVIST AND THE ACADEMIC
Pierre Schori
Susan Sarandon
Jessica Tuchman Mathews
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR PEACE, EQUITY & JUSTICE
Friends Seminary’s Center for Peace, Equity & Justice supports student and faculty development of the core values of equality, diversity, and community engagement, which reflects Quaker testimonies and their accompanying legacy of activism. The Center brings together academic, social, and cultural programs that contribute to wider movements for social change. By connecting theory to real-world practice, the Center stresses learning through action, and equips students and faculty with global competencies that allow them to realize their human capacity to bring about the world that ought to be. Through its programs and course offerings, grounded in Quaker philosophy and practice, the Center seeks to connect ideas, resources, and people to advance social justice, build inclusive and sustainable communities, and foster lifelong commitments to public service.
Learn more about CPEJ here.