Javier Zamora is a Salvadoran poet and activist. In his debut New York Times bestselling memoir, Solito, Javier retells his nine-week odyssey across Guatemala, Mexico, and eventually through the Sonoran Desert. Zamora was a 2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and holds fellowships from CantoMundo, Colgate University (Olive B. O’Connor), MacDowell, Macondo, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation (Ruth Lilly), Stanford University (Stegner), and Yaddo. He is the recipient of a 2017 Lannan Literary Fellowship, the 2017 Narrative Prize, and the 2016 Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award for his work in the Undocupoets Campaign. Co-sponsors: Creative Writing Program, Department of American Studies, Institute for Latino Studies -- Join the Center for Social Concerns on Friday afternoons of home football weekends for MVP Fridays: lectures by national leaders, journalists, and writers on questions of meaning, values, and purpose.Learn more

Join the Liturgical Choir of the Notre Dame Children's Choir the second and third Mondays of the month in-person or online for a prayerful Vespers service.  https://youtube.com/live/b2NY2EKdSio?feature=shareNotre Dame Children's Liturgical ChoirOriginally published at sma.nd.edu.

Join the Klau Institute and NDVotes for this installment of "Pizza, Pop, and Politics" as Professor of Law Derek Muller discusses voting rights and election administration. Originally published at klau.nd.edu.

Michael C. Davis, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, will discuss his recent publication, "Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong" (Columbia University Press, 2024). Liu faculty fellow Victoria Hui, associate professor of politics, will serve as a discussant and Michel Hockx, professor of Chinese literature and director of the Liu Institute, will moderate the event. The lecture is free and open to the public. Lunch will be served. Michael Davis's publication will be available for purchase during the event onsite through Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. Sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and cosponsored by Law School Human Rights LLM Program and the Global Human Rights Clinic. In support of the Liu Institute’s growing commitment to sustainability, we will no longer be offering drinks at our public lectures and panels. We encourage audience members to bring their own water bottles or to drink from nearby water fountains. Thank you for your understanding. Originally published at asia.nd.edu.

Please join the Kellogg Institute in its annual tradition — this year in a new format! — that introduces research of its new Visiting Fellows in an informative and inviting atmosphere. Learn firsthand why Kellogg has invested in the work of these fellows from brief research overview presentations then delve deeper during a Q&A session, moderated by Kellogg Director Aníbal Pérez-Liñán. A light lunch will be available in this second session of a two-part series. Session 2Kelly McMann, Lucy Adams Leffingwell Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve UniversityNermin Allam, Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University-NewarkNusrat Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Amherst CollegeSr. Damien Marie Savino, Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas CollegeFor more information, click here.   Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies honors this year’s International Day of Peace with a special presentation from one of its own — The Honorable Chernor Bah (M.A. ’11), Minister of Information and Civic Education in Sierra Leone, who will also receive this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Each year the Kroc Institute pays heed to the International Day of Peace (IDOP), established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, by way of an event or panel discussion. The Institute also honors a Notre Dame graduate in peace studies annually with the Distinguished Alumni Award — someone whose career and life exemplifies the ideas of international peacebuilding. This year, the two events will merge. Using the 2024 IDOP theme “Cultivating a Culture of Peace” as a framework, Minister Bah will speak to his professional trajectory since graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a master’s degree in international peace studies. He will also address his current ministerial work with civic education related to cultural renaissance and decolonization, and the mindset shift necessary to rediscover our sense of identity and to see each other’s humanity. Minister Bah’s talk, "Intentional National Consciousness as critical tool for longterm Peacebuilding — A Sierra Leone case study," will discuss how national consciousness, the shared sense of identity among citizens, is essential for uniting a diverse nation like Sierra Leone. By examining the historical challenges stemming from colonial legacies, which fragment our national identity and contribute to social and political instability, this lecture will explore the crucial role of constructing and socializing an intentional national consciousness in long-term peacebuilding for Sierra Leone. In his lecture, Minister Bah will demonstrate how reconstructing these narratives purposefully and in citizen voices is critical to building a cohesive and peaceful society. Drawing lessons from countries including Rwanda, Germany, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, and the United States, strategies emerge for reconstructing Sierra Leone's national consciousness through national dialogue, civic education reform, cultural revitalization, inclusive governance, youth engagement, and international collaboration. By embracing these strategies, Sierra Leone can build a more united, peaceful, and prosperous society. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the strength (and positive peace) of a state is based on the power of its fictional narrative and the sense of ownership and pride that the citizens carry with them in their hearts. Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.