Category Archives: Seeking Justice, Seeking Peace

‘Hamlet,’ a New Opera, Makes Shakespeare Strange

Critic Zachary Woolf reviews a 2017 production of Hamlet by Brett Dean. He compares it with other versions of the play, as well as operatic productions of other Shakespeare works.

High and Inside: Morality and Revenge in Baseball

If a baseball pitcher on Team A intentionally hits a batter on Team B, is it acceptable for the pitcher on Team B later to retaliate by hitting an unrelated batter on Team A? Why? Or why not? This article examines the nature of revenge in baseball.

Activist climbs a mountain to raise funds for youth peace center in Chicago

Activist Ja’Mal Green raises funds for nonprofit Majostee Allstars, which is converting an old bank building in the Aubrun Gresham neighborhood of Chicago into a community center.

Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness

The Mayo Clinic offers tips on forgiving those who hurt us and explains why it’s important to do so.

Tired of war, South Sudanese youth turn to art to push for peace

Ana Taban, a group of artists in South Sudan, promotes a peaceful resolution to the conflict in its country. Click the link at the bottom of the article to view a photo essay of the organization’s members.

In one small Mexican town, the citizens become armed vigilantes to take on a drug gang

Citizens of a town in southwest Mexico take matters into their own hands in an attempt to stop the violence in their area.

William Ury: The Walk from “No” to “Yes”

Noted mediator William Ury describes the “third side,” a technique for resolving conflict in trouble spots such as the Middle East.

Revenge really is sweet: study shows the mood-enhancing effect of retaliation

A recent study showed that people who chose to act aggressively toward another person after being socially rejected felt better afterward.

Collective reparation in Colombia: when everyone suffers from the ravages of war

Read this article to learn what collective reparations are. Watch the video to see how one village in Colombia was affected by war and how the program will help them restore their community.

The Fertility and Futility of Hatred

Cultural anthropologist Janice Harper argues that expressing hatred is self-destructive.

Beyond Grief and Grievance

Poet and essayist Philip Metres argues that in attempt to use poetry to heal after tragedy, poets should be careful not to fall into cliché or exploitation.

‘My neighbour murdered nearly all of my family, but now we are friends’

Read about villages set up to bring perpetrators and survivors of genocide together in reconciliation.

Should U.S. pay reparations for slavery? U.N.-appointed experts think so

Read why the United Nations recommends formal apologies and reparations be made to black Americans and why the subject is controversial.

Opinion: Why Nazi Hunting is Still a Worthy Pursuit

Dr. Efraim Zuroff asserts that we should continue to pursue and bring to justice Nazis who participated in the atrocities of the Holocaust, more than 60 years after the war ended.

The Israeli-Palestinian basketball teams that are breaking all barriers

Organized by PeacePlayers International, a basketball team of Israeli and Palestinian teenage girls is bringing people together.

Wangari Maathai Biography

Read this biography of Wangari Maathi, a Kenyan environmentalist and human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

How a Black Lives Matter protest became a community picnic with police

Police officers in Wichita, Kansas, met with members of the community, including Black Lives Matter advocates, to start a conversation about possible solutions to the conflict between law enforcement and black citizens.