Every day, around the world, people living in poverty work for peace in often unseen ways. Joining in this struggle has been the mission of ATD internationally for more than 50 years.
This book is rooted in participatory research that was conducted by ATD on the violence of extreme poverty that showed just how much people living in poverty do to search for peace, to go beyond violence, and to build a sense of community.
Through narratives, photos, and video links, we discover the acts of courage, as well as the creativity, experience, and insights of people living in poverty.
In New York City on September 10th at 172 1st Avenue in Manhattan (between 10th and 11th streets) at 7:00pm ATD will release of its newest book Artisans of Peace Overcoming Poverty, which introduces partners in peace-building whose efforts have too often remained unrecognized.
The event will consist of a brief presentation of the book and panel discussion including presentations from:
Marc Lacey (@MarcLacey), Associate Managing Editor for Weekends at the New York Times. Formerly Deputy Foreign Editor, Marc has served as a correspondent in Washington, Nairobi, Mexico City, and Phoenix. In 2010, as Mexico City Bureau Chief, he managed the paper’s coverage of the Haitian earthquake. While Nairobi Bureau Chief, Marc was one of the first reporters to write first-hand about the genocide in Darfur.
Rosa Cho, Policy and Research Analyst with Re:Gender (@Re_Gender). Rosa joined Re:Gender in fall 2013 after working in various human rights, socioeconomic justice and violence against women organizations, including Amnesty International USA, the United Nations, and the New York Asian Women’s Center. Rosa received a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley and an M.S.S.W. from Columbia. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the NYU Silver School of Social Work.
Diana Skelton (@DianaSkelton), Deputy Director General of the International Movement ATD Fourth World. As part of ATD’s full-time Volunteer Corps since 1986, she has lived and worked in low-income neighborhoods in New York and Madagascar. Since 2008 she has been based at ATD’s international center in France. From there, her work brings her around the world to consult with people living in extreme poverty and visit local ATD Fourth World teams. Author in 2004 of How Poverty Separates Parents and Children: A Challenge to Human Rights, Diana is now the co-author of Artisans of Peace Overcoming Poverty.
Also in Washington DC on September 13th at Busboys & Poets (14th & V streets NW) at 9:45 a.m. for the release of the book.
The event will consist of a brief presentation of the book and panel discussion including presentations from:
Laudy Aron, Senior Fellow with the Urban Institute’s Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population (@UrbanInstitute) in Washington, DC. Laudy also recently served as a Senior Program Officer and Study Director at the National Academy of Sciences. She has spent over 25 years conducting research and policy analysis on a wide range of social welfare issues, including poverty, health, housing, education, and employment. Her work focuses on how social and economic conditions shape health and wellbeing from early in life, and how policies and programs can best support individual, family, and community development across time and place.
Jennifer Lentfer (@intldogooder), creator of the blog how-matters.org. Jennifer was named one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s “100 women to follow on Twitter.” She aims to place community-driven initiatives, which can be more genuinely responsive to local needs, at the forefront of international aid, philanthropy, and social enterprise. Lentfer has worked with over 300 grassroots organizations in east and southern Africa over the past decade, as well as various international organizations in Africa and the US, including the Red Cross, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services, and Firelight Foundation, where in her career she has focused on monitoring and evaluation and organizational development. Lentfer is currently Senior Writer on Oxfam America’s Aid Effectiveness team and editor of the organization’s Politics of Poverty blog. Lentfer is also a lecturer at Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication.
Dr. Mark Bergel (@MarkBergel), founder of A Wider Circle. Dr. Bergel founded A Wider Circle in 2001 and has emerged as a leader in the movement to end poverty. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker in the fields of poverty, health, and social connection and has been featured on national television and radio programs. In 2010, Dr. Bergel was voted one of People Magazine and Major League Baseball’s “All Stars Among Us.” He has also received the Dr. Augustus White III Award for Civic Engagement and Service, the Andrea Jolly President’s Award, the Essence of Leadership Award at the Greater DC Cares Business and Nonprofit Philanthropy Summit, and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s Linowes Leadership Award.
Diana Skelton (@DianaSkelton), Deputy Director General of the International Movement ATD Fourth World. As part of ATD’s full-time Volunteer Corps since 1986, she has lived and worked in low-income neighborhoods in New York and Madagascar. Since 2008 she has been based at ATD’s international center in France. From there, her work brings her around the world to consult with people living in extreme poverty and visit local ATD Fourth World teams. Author in 2004 of How Poverty Separates Parents and Children: A Challenge to Human Rights, Diana is now the co-author of Artisans of Peace Overcoming Poverty.
“ATD is an essential point of reference for the effectiveness of the constant and varied efforts to water the seeds of a new community, to cultivate their growth over the long term, and to bring back the joy of living.”
— Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations
“When I was president of Senegal, on the occasion of the first commemoration honoring the victims of extreme poverty on October 17, 1987, I was struck by the nobility and the devotion of ATD. This organization founded by Joseph Wresinski is a message of hope and of faith in human dignity for all of us.”
— Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of the International Organization of La Francophonie
