|
|
NEWS RELEASE
|
March 23, 2007
André Johnson to Receive Vanderhaar Student Peace Award
Rev. André Johnson will receive the Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar Student Peace Award during the Vanderhaar Symposium on Thursday, March 29, 2007, at 7 p.m., in the Canale Arena at Christian Brother University. This award is given annually to a Mid-South university student, who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of nonviolence consistent with Dr. Vanderhaar’s life and work.
This year's Vanderhaar Student Peace Award will recognize Johnson for his tireless work with peace and justice issues, including the Living Wage Campaign, working with inner city youth on conflict resolution, participating in local peace walks, and supporting peace education events at area schools. A University of Memphis student, Johnson is completing his doctoral dissertation in African-American rhetoric. Deeply committed to nonviolence in all aspects of life and in all age groups, Johnson’s witness to Gospel Values, as he works for peace with justice, also carries over to his vocation as pastor of Gifts of Life Ministries, a non-denominational church in midtown Memphis.
The Vanderhaar Symposium was founded in honor of Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar, a professor of religion for twenty-eight years at Christian Brothers University, who spent his lifetime promoting peace and active nonviolence. Each year, the Symposium invites a noted scholar and/or activist to the CBU campus to address a social and moral issue related to peace and justice and/or Catholic social teaching, and presents the Vanderhaar Student Peace Award.
Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, professor and chair of the department of theology and religious studies at Seattle University, is the keynote speaker. In her speech, "Welcoming the Stranger: The Promise and Challenge", Rodriguez will challenge those present to align their faith principles with the critical issue of welcoming people of all backgrounds.
The Symposium is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a reception. Parking is available in the CBU Central Avenue lot. For more information, contact Lisa Bell, at (901) 321-4299.
| |
About CBU