INTRODUCTION:
Dr. Bernard LaFayette
How appropriate it is that the keynote speaker for the 50th
anniversary celebration of Promoting Enduring Peace honoring NEPSA is Dr.
Bernard Lafayette, who has given his life to building peace cultures in the
midst of cultures of violence, and done so with incredible intelligence,
imagination, and courage.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Dr. Lafayette first became well known at
20, while a student at American Baptist College, Nashville, as a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and a leader of
the Freedom Rides. He once described the members of that community in
this way: "Southern baptists are VERY, VERY Southern, and black Baptists
are VERY, VERY black." And if you aren't familiar with David
Halberstram's account of Dr. Lafayette many contributions to the Civil
Rights movement and since in
The Children (1998), 1 urge you to read it
IMMEDIATELY!
During the 1960s, Dr. Lafayette worked closely with Petretti Luther
King, through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Poor
People's Campaign, before completing a doctorate at Harvard, teaching
peace studies at Gustavus Adolphus University, in Minnesota, and serving
as Chair of COPRED, Consortium on Peace Research, Education, and
Development, the parent organization of NEPSA.
Since then, in addition to his contributions and achievements as
minister, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Lafayette is recognized as
a major authority on strategies for nonviolent social change. These skills
are evident in his work in voter registration and nonviolence training in
this country abroad, first in Selma, Alabama, later in South Africa, and
now in Colombia, as a member of the International Nonviolence Executive
Planning Board. His many publications, Curriculum
and Training Manual for
the Petretti Luther King Nonviolence Community Leadership Training., a
resource for his work in nonviolence trainging of police. Another
important commitment led to his founding the Godparents Club, devoted to
work with young people released from prison.
Before coming to the University of Rhode Island, as Director of Peace
Studies and Scholar in Residence, Dr. Lafayette held a number of administrative
posts, as high school principal in Tuskegee, Alabama; Dean of Graduate Programs,
Alabama State University, Montgomery, and President of his alma mater, American
Baptist College.
Since he moved to New England
three years ago, I have been hounding Bernard Lafayette to work closely with
New England Peace Studies Association and now consider that mission accomplished.
And it is with great pleasure and genuine admiration that I present him to you.
