Noon Today: “Meet the Moment With Humanity” Lecture and Documentary Series Launch

January 25, 2024

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,
 
As our community continues to engage with the challenging events of the past several months, the Chancellors’ Offices are partnering with University Equity and Inclusion on a series of events that will help us “Meet the Moment with Humanity.”
 
As noted in this effort’s website and on Rutgers–New Brunswick’s Caring for Our Community page, how we as a community respond to our own and others’ feelings of hurt, anxiety, and division will make all the difference. Our best way forward is to embrace our shared humanity and undertake the hard work of living up to our aspirational values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and a free and respectful exchange of ideas and viewpoints.
 
“Meet the Moment with Humanity” includes a lecture series titled “Navigating Tensions, Affirming Community” and a series of documentary screenings called “Reject Hate”—both of which will begin at Rutgers–New Brunswick and will include all four of Rutgers’ chancellor-led areas throughout the spring. Each event will be available in person and virtually.
 
Please join us for the first events in this series:
 
The inaugural lecture, “What Does Community Mean in a Polarized Society?” by Kazu Haga, will take place at noon today (Thursday, January 25) at the Zimmerli Art Museum and virtually. Kazu Haga is co-director of the Embodiment Project and one of the most experienced trainers in Kingian Nonviolence, a philosophy that grows from the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A leading voice nationally in various approaches to nonviolence, organizing, and restorative justice, he works to empower incarcerated communities, youth, and activists. Click here to register.
 
The inaugural documentary screening, at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 31 at Rutgers Cinema and virtually, will show Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life, a film that documents Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, the October 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life – Or L’Simmcha Congregation synagogue. Through the voices of survivors, family members, diverse Pittsburgh residents, and leaders, the film shows unity in a moment of crisis, the resilience of a vibrant city, and a community working to understand what it means to be “stronger than hate.” Click here to register.
 
These recent months have affected us deeply in many ways. But we remain a campus community of mutual respect, understanding, and knowledge-seeking that believes in the power of our university mission to improve the world through excellence in education, research, and service. We are stronger together.
 
Sincerely,
 
Enobong “Anna” Branch, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Equity
Rutgers University
 
Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor and Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick