In 1995, Dr. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, professor of peace, justice and conflict studies, together with Dr. Tobin Miller, founded the Damascus Road, an initiative aimed at dismantling racism within the Mennonite Church and broader society.

In September 2012, Shands Stoltzfus and Miller’s Damascus Road was officially renamed to Roots of Justice. Shands Stoltzfus and Miller directed the program for several years, though they no longer lead the initiative.

Throughout their time, they collaborated with a team of trainers to lead organizing and educational efforts within Mennonite Church USA and other Anabaptist institutions, including seminaries and colleges such as Goshen College.

In recent days, Shands Stoltzfus and Miller have independently continued to lead workshops, give speeches and write together, as well as collaborate with others.

Since 2011, GC has been connected with Hope for the Future, an initiative that focuses on addressing issues of racial justice, reconciliation and anti-racism. On Feb. 28, GC hosted the Hope for the Future conference in the Church Chapel, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Roots of Justice program.

This year, they decided to bring their conference to campus, not only because the organizers of the event were looking for a central location to host it at, but also to feature Shands Stoltzfus as the keynote speaker. Through these collaborations, GC promotes inclusivity, equity and systemic change on campus and within the broader Mennonite community.

During her speech, Shands Stoltzfus explored topics aligned with the evening’s main concern. “My message during my keynote presentation was about continuing to do the work of justice, even when it is hard. I reflected on justice movements of the past, many of which were led by college students,” she said.

Gilberto Pérez Jr., vice president for student life and dean of students, said, “We have had [Roots of Justice] on campus to offer training to students … We wish to continue staying engaged with MCUSA, with Roots of Justice, in ways to build bridges for teaching students to do the work of social justice in ways that help the campus community.”

Still concerning this attachment to the annual conference, Pérez Jr. said, “Goshen College has been connected to it and supportive and affirms the work that’s happening there … We want to stay close to things that Mennonite Church USA is doing since it’s a Mennonite Church USA sponsored event.”

Pérez Jr. was also a co-presenter in the conference. Together with three other people, he presented on the role of churches and organizations at providing sanctuary for immigrants.

“There are a lot of good people all across the country that are engaged in the work of supporting others who are potentially experiencing racism and situations where there’s conflict … I think bringing all of these people together gives you a sense that you’re not alone,” he said.

According to Shands Stoltzfus, the moments that stood out to her were “seeing so many people that I’ve done this work with over the years coming together to celebrate, hearing the effect anti-racism training had for a number of institutions, like Mennonite Church USA, and honoring elders in the movement and celebrating the young people who are here now … it was very meaningful to hear people express appreciation for the work lots of people have done.”

Pérez Jr. also commented about how the amount of students who attended was low, he said there are still ways to keep spreading information. “If the students, employees, and staff that attended shared those learnings with the campus community we might create some type of synergy around what we learned … it doesn’t just stay on that day that we were present together,” he said.

Naomi Lapp Klassen, a senior history and criminal and restorative justice double major, was one of the few students present and reflected on the impacts of the conference. “The close relationships that each member and ally of the Roots of Justice shared with each other at this [Hope for the Future] conference was beautiful to witness. I was so warmed by the ways that the challenging work to combat systemic racism was paired with incredibly deep friendships, solidarity, and expressions of hope,” she said.

Looking ahead, Pérez Jr. hopes to maintain addressing such a topic within the college environment.  “I think we have an opportunity to learn more about what it means to be rooted in the way of Jesus, but also from an Anabaptist Mennonite Christian tradition regarding how we build out stronger core values, stronger learning outcomes, stronger ways to build relationships. I think that that will help us be a more inclusive school in the future,” he said.

Lapp Klassen also reflected on the importance of preserving those discussions. “Every institution and community has to deal with issues of racism in some way or another. As a diverse college that strives to advocate for peace and justice, GC must continue to prioritize anti-racist policies and attitudes across campus,” she said.