Iona College Mission and Ministry sponsored the Week of the Peacemaker from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4. This year’s theme was “#JustDemocracy” and the week featured speakers and events in line with the idea of ‘Faithful Citizenship,’ which was stressed this year.

The Office of Mission and Ministry hosted the event with the help of various administrators, students and the Week of the Peacemaker committee.

Senior Alysha Gagnon, a campus minister and member of the Week of the Peacemaker committee, said that the “just” in the theme was meant to be a play on words. The theme did not mean “only democracy, but also something performed justly,” according to Gagnon.

The committee members met over the summer to discuss names for the week revolving around the theme of Faithful Citizenship, which the college centers its annual Week of the Peacemaker around every four years.

“As the nation prepares for a historic election, Iona College explores issues of peace and justice that are inherent to its mission, responsive to the signs of the times, and critical for faithful citizenship,” the Week of the Peacemaker official schedule flyer said.

Other committee members included Carl Procario- Foley, director of Mission and Ministry; Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, Religious Studies professor; Katie O’Brien, vice president for administration for SGA; Dr. Joshua Klein, Criminal Justice professor; Marinel Martinez, assistant director of the Office of Student Development; and Dr. Teresa Delgado, Religious Studies professor.

Keynote speaker, Ph.D candidate Phillip McHarris, spoke on Thursday about race within American democracy.

“The keynote speaker, Philip McHarris, was really inspiring,” Gagnon said.

Many posters from before the week began said that the keynote speaker was to be Rev. Nyle Fort, who at the last minute had to cancel because he had another speech planned for the same day at the Vatican. Gagnon said that Fort had been under the impression that Week of the Peacemaker was in December.

“Our keynote speaker had all of three days to prepare,” Gagnon said. “And he did an amazing job.”

SGA, the Counseling Center and the Student Alliance for Multi-Culturalism (SLAM) sponsored the first event of the week, the Chalk Walk. Students wrote words related to the theme on the landing outside of the LaPenta Student Union. Words and phrases that showed up included “diversity,” “Love is Love,” “Black Lives Matter” and many others.

The week also featured a teach-in day on Nov. 1. Five professors from across the disciplines came to the Romita Auditorium to give presentations throughout the day.

“It gives professors a chance to talk about issues as it relates to theme and gives a students a chance to learn outside of class,” Gagnon said.

The professors who gave presentations included Dr. Scott Cleary of the English department, Dr. Jeanne Zaino of the Political Science department Dr. Jennifer Kaalund of the Religious Studies department and Dr. Vincent Maher of Health Management Services.

Cleary gave a presentation called “Thomas Paine on Rights and Equality,” outlining Paine’s arguments on rights and equality while American government was forming.

“Paine was what we might call a radical democrat,” Cleary said in an email. “He saw the only sovereignty in a nation to be the people and the most fundamental right those people have is to choose their own government.”

Cleary also discussed the relationship between individual and civil rights, and the relationship each has with the government.

“Government protects our rights, it does not give us our rights,” Cleary said.

Cleary said that it is important for Iona students to understand this process because of the nature of the current government.

“As a generation of students dealing with a fractured American electorate, questions about the nature and extent of civil rights, and arguably the worse debt load in history, you are positioned to have a major influence on, and be significantly influenced by, the outcome of this election, and discussions of what exactly is just about democracy,” Cleary said.

Delgado reached out to the professors and asked them to contribute to the teach-in day.

Student Campus Ministers and Democracy Matters hosted an “Election Trivia” event as well later in the evening.

The week also featured Student Social Work Presentations based on the theme, a play, an advocacy program and a vigil for peace.