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The Virginia Tech murders are a symptom of broad patterns of interpersonal and institutional violence, some of which make headlines and some of which remain hidden. In our nation, a child or teen is killed by firearms every three hours, and a baby is born into poverty every thirty-five seconds.1 As citizens, it is no longer sufficient to just say no to violence on playgrounds or campuses, in small towns or large cities, at home or abroad. Rather than simply reducing the symptoms of violence, we need to nurture the roots of peace and justice. Schools mirror society's values, but they also shape society's future; peaceable school communities serve as visions and examples for society, and they can nurture the hope that we find in young people.
As members of the Peaceable Schools and Communities Group, we are educators, community organizers, and activists who work with adults and young people in school, community, and university settings.2 Since 1992, our group has worked directly with children and youth, consulted with schools, developed and taught university courses, led workshops internationally, and implemented an annual summer institute that has supported more than one thousand participants. In the following sections, the authors introduce and illustrate the Peaceable Schools and Communities framework, which connects the personal, professional, and political aspects of peace and justice.
A Framework for Peaceable Schools and Communities
The Peaceable Schools and Communities Group framework is a set of guiding principles for educators and community members that includes four interdependent components (see Figure 1). The framework starts with the self - recognizing that each individual is connected to the collective. We share our stories, define our identities, celebrate our personal and cultural resources, and acknowledge the social and institutional challenges we all face (DeRosa & Johnson, 2002). We lift up the stories of those disparaged or oppressed on the basis of identity. We recognize our responsibility to help heal, include rather than exclude, and foster a justice that is restorative rather than retributive.
Grounded in a positive, inclusive definition of self, the Peaceable Schools and Communities Group identifies the roots of peace and justice. Violence is fueled by personal and institutional forces, including learned ignorance, stereotypes, privilege, power-over,3 competition, individualism, easy access to weapons, simple labels of...