{"id":6694,"date":"2015-10-10T11:04:01","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T15:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=6694"},"modified":"2022-03-23T13:34:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T17:34:12","slug":"medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs\/","title":{"rendered":"Medea Benjamin Kicks Off a Global Prize Weekend at Kalamazoo College Dedicated to Grace Lee Boggs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Medea<\/a>Medea Benjamin<\/strong> kicked-off her keynote speech during the first night of the 2015 Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice Leadership with an ironic quip.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to celebrate social justice at a competition,\u201d said Benjamin, also a juror for the Global Prize, from K\u2019s Dalton Theatre stage. \u201cBut in reality, what we are looking to do is not say we are better than anyone else, but that we look to emulate each other out of admiration and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clad in her trademark pink, Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war, social justice organization Code Pink, spoke to an audience of K students, faculty, staff, and community members and members from the ten finalist organizations vying for the Global Prize.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are healers, the visionaries, the transformers,\u201d she said to the finalists sitting close to the stage. \u201cWe transform what does not work into what can work for the whole world.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the opening celebration of a two-day Global Prize weekend hosted by K\u2019s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The night also featured music by Yolonda Lavender<\/strong> and Scarlet<\/strong>, with vocalist Abbie Maikoski<\/strong>, poet Denise Miller<\/strong>, and vocal drummer Dan Davis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Global<\/a>Kalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran<\/strong> welcomed audience members with the news that the 2015 Global Prize competition would be dedicated to the memory of social justice leader activist and scholar Grace Lee Boggs<\/strong> who died this week at the age of 100. Boggs received an honorary degree from K in 2007 and was a frequent visitor to campus in the last ten years of her life.<\/p>\n

Benjamin touched on current-day issues that highlight the need for social justice activists to remain vigilant in fighting \u2013 including class, wealth, and racial disparities, as well as climate change, LGBTQI issues, and more, including ongoing wars across the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a lot of young people here, war is all they\u2019ve known.”<\/p>\n

Through the hard work of organizers and advocates such as the Global Prize finalists in the room, said Benjamin, the needle is moving in the direction of justice on a myriad of issues.<\/p>\n

\"Presenters<\/a>\u201cWe\u2019re at the tipping point on so many issues,\u201d she said. \u201cAll because of the work of people like you. We don\u2019t do this (work) because it\u2019s easy, we do this work because we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benjamin praised the cooperation between what is seen by some as disparate groups \u2013 the LGBTQ and black communities, Palestinian rights groups and the Black Lives Matter movement. The shared urge and passion for equality and justice is what the overall movement is all about, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove is the essence of what we do,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is love that moves us and love that will ultimately win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kalamazoo College Global Prize continues today with presentations from the finalists to a seven-member juror panel and the general public in the Connable Recital Hall in K\u2019s Light Fine Arts Building.<\/p>\n

One finalist will be selected to receive the $25,000 Global Prize. The announcement of the winner will be made tonight at 8:00 p.m. by President Wilson-Oyelaran at a closing celebration in the College\u2019s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (205 Monroe St.). Today\u2019s presentations and tonight\u2019s closing celebration are open to the public.<\/p>\n

Visit here for information about the Global Prize, the ten finalists, and a schedule of Global Prize weekend: https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/csjl\/prize<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medea Benjamin kicked-off her keynote speech during the first night of the 2015 Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice Leadership with an ironic quip. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to celebrate social justice at a competition,\u201d said Benjamin, also a juror for the Global Prize, from K\u2019s Dalton Theatre stage. \u201cBut in reality, what we are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":6702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,235],"tags":[20],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-6694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-institutional-announcements","tag-social-justice"],"yoast_head":"\r\nMedea Benjamin Kicks Off a Global Prize Weekend at Kalamazoo College Dedicated to Grace Lee Boggs - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Medea Benjamin kicked-off her keynote speech during the first night of the 2015 Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Medea Benjamin Kicks Off a Global Prize Weekend at Kalamazoo College Dedicated to Grace Lee Boggs - 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aria-label=\"archive of category Events\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/events\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Events<\/a><a aria-label=\"archive of category Institutional Announcements\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/institutional-announcements\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Institutional Announcements<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/social-justice\/\" rel=\"tag\">social justice<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medea-benjamin-kicks-off-a-global-prize-weekend-at-kalamazoo-college-dedicated-to-grace-lee-boggs\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Medea-Benjamin-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6702 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Medea-Benjamin-12-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Medea Benjamin\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>Medea Benjamin<\/strong> kicked-off her keynote speech during the first night of the 2015 Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice Leadership with an ironic quip.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to celebrate social justice at a competition,\u201d said Benjamin, also a juror for the Global Prize, from K\u2019s Dalton Theatre stage. \u201cBut in reality, what we are looking to do is not say we are better than anyone else, but that we look to emulate each other out of admiration and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clad in her trademark pink, Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war, social justice organization Code Pink, spoke to an audience of K students, faculty, staff, and community members and members from the ten finalist organizations vying for the Global Prize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are healers, the visionaries, the transformers,\u201d she said to the finalists sitting close to the stage. \u201cWe transform what does not work into what can work for the whole world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was the opening celebration of a two-day Global Prize weekend hosted by K\u2019s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The night also featured music by <strong>Yolonda Lavender<\/strong> and <strong>Scarlet<\/strong>, with vocalist <strong>Abbie Maikoski<\/strong>, poet <strong>Denise Miller<\/strong>, and vocal drummer <strong>Dan Davis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Finalists-on-stage1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6703 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Finalists-on-stage1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Global Prize Social Justice Leaders on stage\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Kalamazoo College President <strong>Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran<\/strong> welcomed audience members with the news that the 2015 Global Prize competition would be dedicated to the memory of social justice leader activist and scholar <strong>Grace Lee Boggs<\/strong> who died this week at the age of 100. Boggs received an honorary degree from K in 2007 and was a frequent visitor to campus in the last ten years of her life.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin touched on current-day issues that highlight the need for social justice activists to remain vigilant in fighting \u2013 including class, wealth, and racial disparities, as well as climate change, LGBTQI issues, and more, including ongoing wars across the globe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a lot of young people here, war is all they\u2019ve known.”<\/p>\n<p>Through the hard work of organizers and advocates such as the Global Prize finalists in the room, said Benjamin, the needle is moving in the direction of justice on a myriad of issues.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Grace-Lee-Boggs1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6704 size-medium\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/10\/pening-Ceremony-Grace-Lee-Boggs1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Presenters discuss Grace Lee Boggs\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>\u201cWe\u2019re at the tipping point on so many issues,\u201d she said. \u201cAll because of the work of people like you. We don\u2019t do this (work) because it\u2019s easy, we do this work because we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin praised the cooperation between what is seen by some as disparate groups \u2013 the LGBTQ and black communities, Palestinian rights groups and the Black Lives Matter movement. The shared urge and passion for equality and justice is what the overall movement is all about, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLove is the essence of what we do,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is love that moves us and love that will ultimately win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Kalamazoo College Global Prize continues today with presentations from the finalists to a seven-member juror panel and the general public in the Connable Recital Hall in K\u2019s Light Fine Arts Building.<\/p>\n<p>One finalist will be selected to receive the $25,000 Global Prize. The announcement of the winner will be made tonight at 8:00 p.m. by President Wilson-Oyelaran at a closing celebration in the College\u2019s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (205 Monroe St.). Today\u2019s presentations and tonight\u2019s closing celebration are open to the public.<\/p>\n<p>Visit here for information about the Global Prize, the ten finalists, and a schedule of Global Prize weekend: <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/csjl\/prize\">https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/csjl\/prize<\/a>.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6694"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11407,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6694\/revisions\/11407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6694"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=6694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}