A Long Tradition of Peacebuilding at Goshen College

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Regina Shands Stoltzfus, professor of Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies (PJCS) and director of PJCS at Goshen College, continuously seeks to deepen her understanding of peacebuilding and non-violence and to communicate these ideas to diverse audiences.

She teaches popular classes within her discipline, is integral to Goshen’s prison exchange teaching program, and interacts with a variety of communities well beyond campus. In all her work, Shands Stoltzfus emphasizes the importance of cultivating sustainable practices that empower individuals and communities to engage in the long-term reparative efforts necessary for effective peacebuilding.

Roots of Justice

In the early ’90s, Shands Stoltzfus was working as a trained mediator with Mennonite Conciliation Services, part of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. Working at the peace education desk, she became increasingly bothered that “race and racism was not part of the conversation in peace studies.” She began discussing these ideas with Tobin Miller Shearer, a colleague at the anti-racism desk, and they recognized that they both were “hungry for these conversations.” In 1995, they planned a gathering at a retreat center in Chicago, inviting people to come and talk about working against structural racism. At the end of the gathering, the attendees said they wanted to keep the conversations going in their own organizations. Shands Stoltzfus and Shearer began developing an organization called the Damascus Road Antiracism Program to continue teaching people anti-oppressive practices, which they led for 10 years. Damascus Road later became established as Roots of Justice, a 501 (c) (3) independent of MCC. The organization will celebrate 30 years of anti-oppressive peacebuilding work next year.

Drawing on the lessons that Shands Stoltzfus and Shearer learned through their work with Damascus Road/Roots of Justice, they co-wrote a book during the pandemic, publishing Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality in November 2021. As the book’s description states, “Been in the Struggle nurtures, challenges, and fosters the work and witness of dismantling racism for the long haul.” This long-term perspective is crucial in ensuring that the efforts toward justice and equity are not only impactful but also enduring. Shands Stoltzfus’ previous books include the 2001 Set Free: A Journey Toward Solidarity Against Racism, with Shearer and Iris De Leon-Hartshorn, and Resist, Organize, Transform: An Introduction to Nonviolence and Activism, a textbook she edited in collaboration with Dean Johnson and JoanMay Cordova. She has also published articles in many Mennonite and Anabaptist publications as well as Sojourners, a magazine that focuses on Christian social justice.

According to Kendra Yoder, associate professor of Sociology and program director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Goshen, Shands Stoltzfus is “doing the work of a public intellectual, translating her expertise and knowledge” to reach audiences both within and outside of academia. Through publications, speaking engagements, and workshops, Yoder notes, Shands Stoltzfus is “doing the hard work of anti-violence education,” offering a variety of accessible ways for a wider public to learn more about these approaches and how to engage in them.

Path to the Tenure Track

Shands Stoltzfus’s journey to teaching was shaped by her experiences with Damascus Road and a deepening commitment to peacebuilding work. Throughout her work with Roots of Justice, Shands Stoltzfus remembers that she would often be asked, “Have you thought of teaching?” Her answer was always a resounding no. She decided to attend seminary, earning a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Ashland Theological Seminary. As she interacted with her professors, she realized that she loved what they did, and much of it aligned with her anti-oppression work. When she came to Goshen College in the early 2000s as a campus pastor, she asked for opportunities to teach, as well. After the three-year ministries contract ended, she stayed on as an adjunct while pursuing her PhD in Theology and Ethics from Chicago Theological Seminary. She says moving into teaching in a college setting was a learning curve, but she knows she is in the right place. She is cultivating a new generation of peacebuilders, preparing them to engage in sustainable practices for the long term.

Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Classes

Rooted in Anabaptist-Mennonite traditions, Goshen College emphasizes a commitment to peacemaking and non-violence. As a result, Goshen’s core curriculum requires every student to take a peacemaking class. Shands Stoltzfus regularly offers a popular 200-level Transforming Conflict and Violence class which fulfills this core requirement. She appreciates that students in the class are “engaged and enthusiastic” as they reflect on the course readings and their own potential roles in fostering long-lasting peace.

Shands Stoltzfus offers many classes within PJCS that draw on her long expertise in peacebuilding work as well as ministry; in each one, she guides her students to think critically about entrenched social issues. She currently teaches Mediation; Race, Class, and Ethnic Relations; and the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Junior Seminar. Other classes in her regular rotation include Restorative Justice, Engaging the Bible, and Personal

Violence and Healing.

Yoder characterizes Shands Stoltzfus as a “fabulous teacher and mentor” whose classes are always in demand. Whether in the core curriculum or in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies, Shands Stoltzfus sees all of her students “learning how to think through complex things.” In working with them, she also keeps her eyes on the bigger picture of long-term peacemaking work. She points out that traditional college-age students—particularly at Goshen—are “on fire for justice,” and she does not want to dampen that enthusiasm.

“Any of us who are serious about this work will be at it for a long time,” she says. She wants to prepare students to care for themselves as they continue anti-oppression work over the course of their lives.

Inside Out

Shands Stoltzfus actively participates as a leader at Goshen in the Inside Out Program associated with its campus. Goshen’s website explains this initiative, which has participants at colleges and universities across the country: “The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program was started at Temple University in the late nineties as an educational program bringing together incarcerated men and women (inside students) and college students (outside students) into a common classroom within the walls of a prison or jail.” Yoder states that Shands Stoltzfus has been “instrumental in holding and championing” Goshen’s partnership with the Elkhart City Jail in Goshen, Indiana, to offer this program each May Term in a three-week intensive class. This initiative fosters meaningful relationships and deepens understanding across societal barriers, emphasizing the importance of sustained engagement with issues of crime and justice. Students from both inside and outside incarceration benefit from the insights gained during this transformative experience.

Sabbatical Focus

During her Spring 2023 sabbatical, Shands Stoltzfus focused on creating a curriculum that strives to be more transparent about the ethics and care practices needed to pursue non-violence work. Prior to the sabbatical, she had become more acutely aware of the paradox that peace studies classes must often focus on violence and conflict. As a result, instructors and students both can have a hard time continuously grappling with tough topics in the required readings throughout the term. Shands Stoltzfus realized that studying non-violence and violence could cause secondary trauma, so she sought ways to decrease potential trauma in studying non-violence.

Just a few weeks into the sabbatical, however, she realized that she had done to herself exactly what she hoped to refrain from doing to her students—she had read several books on trauma in quick succession and was feeling overwhelmed. She recognized that she needed to take time to assimilate the material as well as to ground herself in order to maintain strong mental health. In addition to slowing down her intake of emotionally charged information, she deliberately engaged in a variety of self-care practices, such as reading more fiction for fun, taking regular walks, eating nourishing food, and continuing her established meditative practice.

Post-sabbatical, Shands Stoltzfus remarks that being transparent about these self-care practices in her 300- and 400-level classes has been “life-giving.” Her sabbatical experience of being overloaded with heavy content also allowed her to “get over the fear of having less content”; she realized that emotionally challenging readings need to be balanced with time to fully take in the information. By being transparent about her self-care practices, Shands Stoltzfus promotes a culture that values long-term engagement with difficult topics, ensuring that her students are prepared for the sustained work of peacebuilding.

In that same vein, Shands Stoltzfus says this term she is also offering students a one-week grace period after the due date to submit assignments, no questions asked. Now that Shands Stoltzfus is applying the insights she learned during her sabbatical to her classes, she appreciates the “good spirit” that she sees in all of her classes.

Yoder points out that Shands Stoltzfus has long been at the forefront of a great deal of anti-oppression and peace education in the region, in Anabaptist communities, and around the world. “She does so much for the college community, national organizations, and international groups who have come to her through her scholar-activism.” Shands Stoltzfus’ commitment to fostering sustainable peacebuilding practices is vital for guiding growth within higher education institutions. By promoting effective ways to engage in difficult conversations, Shands Stoltzfus helps ensure that the work of peace, justice, and conflict studies is not just a momentary endeavor but a lifelong commitment to creating a more just world. Through her efforts, Shands Stoltzfus embodies the spirit of sustainable peacebuilding, encouraging both students and community members to engage in the challenging yet rewarding journey of fostering justice long term.

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About the Author
Cynthia Mwenja, PhD, teaches Composition and Rhetoric at the University of Montevallo and is a staff writer for PUPN Magazine.