Jenna Barnett
Our host, Jenni Prisk, interviews Peace Writer, Jenna Barnett, who tells the story of Pauline Dempers from Namibia, a Women PeaceMaker at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego during 2015.
Excerpt from Interview
“I was already against torture – intellectually against it. Now after talking to Pauline and knowing her and hearing both on a personal level how it has hurt her and hearing how this thing became systemic – I’m not just intellectually against torture any more. I hate it with all of me. I feel it in my bones. Its wrongness and ineffectiveness.”
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Biography of Jenna Barnett
Jenna is a freelance writer and editor with a background in sociology research and interfaith organizing. Barnett realized the powerful capacity women have to build unlikely bridges and narrate injustices from experiences she had while teaching English to refugees and witnessing first hand the enduring strength of these remarkable women.
The interview takes place at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego where Jenna spent concentrated time with Pauline while she was in residence as a Women PeaceMaker in the Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ).
More About The IPJ Peace Writers
Since 2003, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego has welcomed four women peacemakers each year from around the world.
The women reside at the University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies for two months and share their stories, which are documented by four Peace Writers.
These Peace Writers tell their story of living in conflict and building peace in their communities and nations. The Peace Writers interview their PeaceMakers daily and produce a document that includes narrative stories and complementary components, such as a historical summary of the conflict and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated by the work of the PeaceMaker.
Monica McWilliams, Chief Commissioner, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission comments on the importance of this program:
“You are writing women into history. You are making sure their stories are not forgotten. You are making sure those stories are passed on to the next generation.”