"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
About
Center for Peace, Equity & Justice

Peace Week

 
 
Peace Week 2025, will take place January 21-24. For nearly two decades, Friends Seminary has set aside this special week to reflect on the Quaker testimony of Peace. This year’s theme, Growing Together through Silence and Dialogue, aligns with our school-wide focus for the 2024-2025 academic year. Throughout the week, we will explore how intentional silence and meaningful dialogue can be transformative tools for fostering peace in our communities and the wider world.
 
 
We are thrilled to welcome Meredith Evans ’90, Director of the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, as our keynote speaker. Meredith, the first Black woman to direct a presidential library, was appointed to this role in 2015 by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). In her work, she emphasizes civic engagement, the role of the presidency in public policy, and expanding access to the records of President Carter and his administration. Meredith’s expertise spans the acquisition and preservation of diverse collections, community engagement, fundraising, and staff development. She is also an accomplished writer and speaker on the value of museums, libraries, and archives. Meredith holds advanced degrees in library science, public history, and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She will deliver her keynote on Thursday evening, January 23, at 6 PM and will also engage Upper School students in a lunch discussion earlier that day. To attend this evening event, please click here. This event is free and open to the greater Friends community, and will be preceeded by a reception starting at 5:30 PM in the Common Room.

 
In addition to Meredith's visit, our Peace Week student assemblies on Friday, January 24, will feature two inspiring speakers:
  • Lesa Cline-Ransome, a beloved children’s book author, will lead presentations for Lower School students and Grades 5-6.
  • Dylan Marron ’06, a critically acclaimed writer, actor, and podcaster, will address Grades 7-8 and Upper School students in two separate sessions.
Throughout the week, students across all grades will engage in classroom activities, division-wide programs, and all-school events that deepen their understanding of core values, social and environmental responsibility, and their role in bringing about a more peaceful world.

PREVIOUS PEACE WEEK THEMES AND SPEAKERS

2024
The Threads of Our Community
Joy Harjo, speaker



2023
Gender Equity: Empowerment and Solidarity in the Struggle for Justice
Masih Alinejad, speaker



2022
Let Your Life Speak: Reflecting on the Testimonies and Our Mission
Community Meeting for Worship



2021
Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture & Identity
Winona Guo and Priya Gulchi, speakers



2020
Our Climate Our Future
David Wallace-Wells, speaker


2019
Justice and Mercy: Transforming Conflict into Connection
Bryan Stevenson, speaker


2018
Seeking Refuge: the Ethics and Politics of Migration and Immigration
Sonia Nazzario, speaker


2017
The New America: Listening Across the Divides
George Packer, speaker


2016
Let Your Life Speak
Chelsea Clinton, speaker
Photo Gallery
Speech


2015
A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunities
Nicholas Kristof and Maro Chermayeff, speakers
 
2014
Legacies of Peace: Choosing to Use the Gift of our Lives to Make the World a Better Place
Maggie Doyne, Neil Blumenthal ‘98 and Dr. Oliver Rothschild ‘98, speakers
 

2013
Building Bridges: Peace Through Understanding
Teri McLuhan, speaker


2012
Peace Like a River: Water as Matter and Metaphor
Michael Arad, speaker

 
2011
Educating for Peace: Friends Seminary and 225 Years of Quaker Education


2010
Beyond the Numbers: The Economics of Peace
Jeffrey Sachs, speaker

 
2009
In the Presence of Justice: The Politics of Peace
Mary Robinson, speaker

 
2008
War Letters: Both Said and Sung
Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Palmedo and Crystal Sikora, speakers


2007
Environmental Stewardship – A Pathway to Peace
James Turrell, speaker


2006
Nonviolence in the Age of Terrorism
Arun Gandhi, speaker
 

2005
The Diplomat, the Activist and the Academic
Pierre Schori, Susan Sarandon and Jessica Tuchman Mathews, speakers
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.

FRIENDS SEMINARY
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New York, NY 10003
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Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.