Past Shanti Lectures

10/3/2020-21st Annual Shanti Event-The Silent Sting of Systemic Racism

Reverend Kerwin Webb will share the different ways that he has experienced systemic racism in his academic, professional, and personal environments. He will attempt to point out the need for each of us to closely examine the words, contexts, and effects of our institutions, including schools, governments, businesses, and communities.
Jada Tulloch will add her perspective as a Black female youth.

20th Annual Shanti (Peace) Lecture- “We Are Not Enemies; America’s Promise In An Age Of Polarization”

Oct 6, 2019:  Polarization is tearing America apart. What can bring us together? David Blankenhorn will address the causes and potential cures regarding the crisis of our time – political…

19th Annual Shanti (Peace) Program: “Hands Across the Hills Dialogue-Success Bridging Red and Blue”

Learn about a dialogue experience between progressives in rural Massachusetts and conservative voters in Eastern Kentucky coal country started in 2017.  Unexpectedly it still continues today with a range of…

17th Annual Shanti (Peace) Program: Begampura City Without Sorrow by Harinder Singh

October 6, 2016:  Dr. Singh shared a Sikh perspective on how to achieve lasting peace on Earth, based on hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptural canon. Practical…

16th Annual Shanti (Peace) Program: On Care for our Common Home: LAUDATO SI’

October 3, 2015:  Professor Antonia (Tonie) Malone discussed the message of Pope Francis’ encyclical which speaks to all people to take “swift and unified action” in defense of our common…

15th Annual Shanti (Peace) Program: From Conflict to Peace Building in Israel/Palestine

October 5, 2014:  Professor Saliba Sarsar of Monmouth University, an expert on Palestinian-Israeli relations, shared his assessment of a wide range of peace-building efforts, and provided an update on the…

14th Annual Shanti (Peace) Lecture – Sufism: “The Heart of Islam”

October 5, 2013:  Professor and Chaplain Rabia Terri Harris, a Muslim Sufi practitioner and scholar, spoke of the history and essence of Sufism. Sufism is a mystical form of Islam…

13th Annual Shanti (Peace) Lecture – Twenty-First Century Inter-Religious Engagement: New Strategies

October 14, 2012:  Reverend Eric Cherry, Director of International Resources, Unitarian Universalist Association (Boston) first reviewed the solid foundation for interfaith understanding provided by 20th century international interfaith strategies. He…

12th Annual Shanti (Peace) Lecture – MEDITATION: Discover That You Are the Source of Happiness

October 1, 2011:  Dr. V. Swaminathan gave a lecture on meditation, which helps to achieve steadiness or one-pointedness of the mind. He discussed the principles of meditation that help one…

11th Annual Shanti Lecture – The United Nations (UN) Foundation

October 3, 2010:  Dr. Gillian Sorensen has had a distinguished career at the United Nations, spanning the administration of two Secretary-Generals. She is currently a Senior Advisor to the United…