30th Anniversary Series: Fighting for Rights
In Marie Berry’s 2019 Keynote Address “Fighting for Rights” she said “the importance of cultivating resilience and of having conversations about the myriad forms of violence that people are subjected to in their lives because fundamentally trauma from the violence that is net transformed becomes transferred”.
This quote really resonated with me and the work that we do here at The Bahá'í Chair for World Peace. So much of the pain and conflict that is being experienced today is not new. It is decades in the making, passed down from generation to generation. A constant cycle of violence, being hurt and hurting others.
Just like Berry’s talk “Fighting for Rights” we work at the chair to fight for the rights of those who have been fighting for multiple lifetimes. To break a cycle or pattern that is passed from parents to children to grandchildren.
The fight for rights is more than educating yourself but also passing along that education to others. Violence is learned from violence and compassion is learned from compassion. Just like trauma and pain are passed down from generation to generation so are hatred and injustice. We must instead fight so that the next generation can fight. Love so the next generation can love. Learn so the next generation can learn.
Having tough conversations with one another and learning from each other is crucial in understanding the world we live in and the injustices that exist. We must all work together to create equal rights not only for our peers, or for relatives who were wronged but for future children who will continue to be hurt if there are no changes made within our society.
That is why I am proud to work at The Bahá'í Chair for World Peace. The organization and the people who work with it are creating spaces where dialogue can happen and change can begin. Where questions can be asked and people can share personal stories, research, and collected data.
Our five themes: structural racism and the root causes of prejudice, human nature, empowerment of women and peace, frontiers of global governance and leadership, and overcoming challenges in the globalization of the environment, are all important and require people to take action in order to enact change. I hope through speakers like Marie Berry people feel empowered to take the time to listen, take the time to learn, take the time to teach, and most importantly take the time to fight for rights.
About the Author:
Meredith is a senior at the University of Maryland majoring in Marketing and Management. After college, she hopes to travel the world and learn more about different countries and cultures. Meredith wants to combine her interest in business with her passion for helping others.