The Need for Courage: Experiments with Peace

What happens when schools prioritize relationships, healing, and belonging? In this episode of The Need for Courage, Willie Maryland and Drew deLutio share the story of the Milwaukee Public Schools Success Center, an innovative partnership that helps students thrive through restorative practices and wraparound support. Their conversation explores the transformative power of compassion, community, and meaningful relationships, offering a hopeful vision for how schools can respond to the social and emotional needs of young people and their families. 

Here is a link to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article mentioned in the podcast: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2023/05/22/milwaukee-public-schools-success-center-focuses-on-mental-health-to-address-behavior-challenges/70220799007/

Learn more about the Success Center here: https://mupeacemaking.medium.com/rebuilding-trust-accelerating-success-189564c4a5f5

Dinorah Cortés-Vélez, a professor of Spanish, specializes in Colonial Latin American literature. More than three centuries before modern debates about gender equality and intellectual freedom, a cloistered nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, asked difficult questions about who has the right to learn, speak, and pursue truth. Dr. Cortés‑Vélez, who has published extensively on Sor Juana, explores how Sor Juana sought to make education in philosophy and theology accessible to women.

Cortés-Vélez is the author of La filosofía de género de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (“The Philosophy of Gender of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz”). ( https://brill.com/display/title/64079 )

Dr. Sumana Chattopadhyay, associate professor of Digital Media and Performing Arts, revealed the many insights media studies provides to better understand debates about immigration. She breaks down how sound bites, filter bubbles, affective polarization, and local vs. national coverage shape these stories.

Chattopadhyay also discussed how migrants are turned into symbols in political theater, drawing on the US migrant busing crisis of 2022 as a case study. She demonstrates how media framing and political messaging intensify division around immigration, and she encourages us all to engage in difficult conversations as a way to counter this.

Chattopadhyay is the author of When Migrants Become Political Pawns: Decoding the American Migrant Busing Crisis (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/when-migrants-become-political-pawns-9781666957433/).

Hon. Mary Triggiano is the director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice at the Marquette University Law School and former chief judge of Milwaukee County Circuit Court, District 1. She shared many insights about restorative justice, including how it provides an avenue for people who have been harmed to ask questions directly to the person who’s harmed them—something that doesn’t happen in the traditional system of justice.

Having seen the effects of restorative practices in legal and community settings, Triggiano now works to train as many future lawyers and community leaders in restorative justice as possible. In our conversation, she referenced a recorded circle she hosted focused on addressing gun violence with victims, first responders, doctors, and offenders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQjv98mXloU).

Dr. Michael Murphy, director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago, discusses how Pope Leo XIV is already directing the Catholic Church to engage with today’s most important social issues. Having previously collaborated with then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Murphy shares why he believes building bridges and promoting peace will be cornerstones of the Pope’s leadership.

Murphy also examines Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas including the many angles from which Catholics should engage questions of AI, ethics, and the human condition. He concludes by making a case for why the humanities are more relevant—and important—now than ever.

Murphy is co-author of the chapter “Tinderization and Transcendence: Girard, McLuhan, and the Apocalyptic Imagination" in Theological Discourses on Social Media (https://www.routledge.com/Theological-Discourses-on-Social-Media/Barnett-Elliston-Williams/p/book/9781032436135) and is co-author of the forthcoming book Catholic Cosmotechnics for the AI Age (https://www.cokesbury.com/9781587311468-Catholic-Cosmotechnics-for-the-AI-Age).

Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, the 25th President of Marquette University, joined us for a discussion about how Marquette is a destination university for students who are interested in discovering their purpose, developing a moral compass, and making a difference in the world. He shared how his own lived experiences—including being a first generation college graduate and growing up in a Catholic household—have impacted how he understands the Marquette difference.

President Kimo also shared his continued commitment to the many ways Marquette students, faculty, and programs engage in service with and for our neighbors as the only Catholic, Jesuit university in the city of Milwaukee. Among these signature programs are the Center for Peacemaking’s collaboration with the Near West Side Partners and Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee, the Mobile Legal Clinic, the DentaMed mobile dental clinic, and student organizations like Midnight Run. Ultimately, he reiterated that one’s experience at Marquette should help to see how we are all connected to one another and are called to help one another.

In this episode, host John Byrne catches up with alumnus Hari Prasad, now program associate and researcher at the Carter Center and research associate at Critica Research and Analysis. Prasad shares how his involvement with the Center for Peacemaking helped set him up to pursue a career as a peace and conflict researcher before delving into his areas of expertise, including Syria, Palestine, Ghana, and the role of memes in political discourse.

Through these examples, Prasad elaborates on several important—and often overlooked—components of peacebuilding initiatives. He emphasized the post-war and post-fighting period as an essential period of continued conflict resolution and data collection efforts. He also shared how his research on political memes has shaped his belief that listening in ways that discourages individuals from doubling down on untrue beliefs is an important antidote to extremism.

Prasad’s publications, including those discussed in the episode, are available on his website (https://www.hkprasad.com/publications). More information about his work focused on Syria with the Carter Center is available online (https://www.cartercenter.org/country/syria/).

Dr. Terry Rynne, co-founder of the Center for Peacemaking, discusses how the idea of the Center for Peacemaking evolved out of his long-standing interest in and study of Gandhian and Gospel-based nonviolence. He also shares how recent Popes including John XXII, Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV have embraced a return to Gospel nonviolence. Ultimately, Rynne shares success stories from the Center and why he believes those trained in Peace Studies will be future leaders in industries ranging from finance to healthcare to public service.

Rynne is the author of Gandhi and Jesus (https://orbisbooks.com/products/gandhi-and-jesus) and Jesus Christ, Peacemaker (https://orbisbooks.com/products/jesus-christ-peacemaker). He is a contributor to the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (https://paxchristiusa.org/catholic-nonviolence-initiative/).

Tom Durkin, director of safety education for the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, discusses how targeted attacks, kidnapping, and even digital threats are reshaping the landscape of safety preparation for journalists both abroad and at home. He shares about the work of the Foley Foundation, including their online curriculum and risk assessment tools that are transforming journalism education for students and seasoned journalists alike. Durkin also touches on his work with Marquette students through the Center for Peacemaking.

The Foley Foundation’s journalism safety curriculum is available online (https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/journalist-safety/).

Helen Prejean, C.S.J. joined us to share stories and wisdom from her lifelong journey advocating for the abolition of the death penalty. She discussed how she was pulled into this work, ways the death penalty negatively impacts society at large, and how Catholic teaching on the death penalty has evolved in recent years. To close the episode, Prejean reveals how experiences with empathy, forgiveness, and faith can reshape our understanding of justice and give direction to how we are called to act today.

Prejean is the author of Dead Man Walking (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/133674/) which was adapted into an Academy Award winning film, and most recently, a graphic novel (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635448/). Her current project aims to bring attention to the case of Manuel Ortiz, an innocent man from El Salvador who is on death row in Louisiana for crimes he did not commit. For more information, visit sisterhelen.org (https://www.sisterhelen.org/).