October 6, 2026 October 7, 2026
09:00 am
Various Locations, Registration Required
Program details and registration available at: https://cglink.me/236/r377798
Peace Through Human Dignity: Justice, Mass Incarceration, and Immigration Detention in the United States
October 6 & 7, 2026. The 2026 Annual Westheimer Peace Symposium draws upon the theme of “peace and social justice” (per the Westheimer endowment, each year rotates through one of four themes: peace and social justice, peace and the nature of war; peace and the environment; peace and nonviolence) focusing on U.S. mass incarceration regarding the prison system and the immigration detention system. The two-day symposium will bring together educators, legal experts, scholars, activists, and artists to examine these interrelated systems through a multi-disciplinary lens of the College’s core Quaker values of peace and social justice as well as democratic and human rights. The event is free and open to the public.
Faculty, staff, and students, please register for all events using the Wilmington College OneStop website or app. Students are eligible to receive co-curricular points for these events by checking out with the INVOLVE app.
For the general public, to view all sessions and their descriptions please go to https://cglink.me/236/r377798. To register, please click the links in the schedule below.
Monday, October 5, 2026
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00-8:15 pm | Westheimer Live Music Event: Midwestern Mrs – original Americana and Indie Folk from Dayton, Ohio. Open to all. No registration needed. | Underground Lounge, Pyle Center |
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (Registration Required)
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:40-11:10 am | Nutrition in Ohio Prisons with Dr. Lindsey Mattern General Public Register Here | Center for Sciences and Agriculture 302 |
| 9:40-11:10 am | Quaker Perspectives on Immigration General Public Register Here | T. Canby Jones Meetinghouse |
| 11:20 am-12:50 pm | (Lunch and Learn) Immigration and the Justice System: Common Misconceptions About Immigration in the Media and in Public Opinion with Joe Spring General Public Register Here | Sid Mishkin Dining Room, The Top, Pyle Center |
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Botanical Art & Ritual Creation with Sheena Hanscel, Returning Artists Guild General Public Register Here | Peace Resource Center |
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Wilmington College Students Inside: The Wilmington College Prison Education Program with Hope Florea and Dr. Ursula McTaggart General Public Register Here | College Hall, 109 |
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Immigration 101: Foundational U.S. Immigration Policy with Samantha Searls, Ignite Peace General Public Register Here | Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
| 2:40-4:10 pm | Differing Perspectives on Immigration, facilitated by Braver Angels General Public Register Here | Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
| 2:40-4:10 pm | Composing a Conceptual Plate: A conceptual art exercise inspired by Casa de Cambios with Gil Rocha General Public Register Here | Makerspace, Robinson Communications Center |
| 2:40-4:10 pm | Improv, Social Justice & Collective Poetry with Kevin Ballou and Wesley “Wallstreet Wes” Robinson, Returning Artists Guild General Public Register Here | McCoy Room, Kelly Center |
| 4:00-5:30 pm | Exhibition Opening and Talk: "Am I an American or Am I not?" The Japanese American Detention and Incarceration Experience, 1942-1944: Connections, Past and Present with Jane Katsuyama General Public Register Here | Quaker Heritage Center, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
| 4:00-5:30 pm | Singing as Resistance with Laura Clapp and Bob Lucas General Public Register Here | The Underground, Pyle Center |
| 7:00-8:15 pm | Keynote Address: Voice of the Voiceless: Immigration Detention in Ohio with Ayman Soliman General Public Register Here | McCoy Room, Kelly Center |
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (Registration Required)
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:10-10:40 am | Nutrition in Ohio Prisons with Dr. Lindsey Mattern General Public Register Here | Center for Sciences and Agriculture Room 302 |
| 9:10-10:40 am | A Failure of Justice: Wrongful Convictions in Ohio and the U.S. Prison System with Pierce Reed, Ohio Innocence Project General Public Register Here | Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
| 10:20-11:50 am | (Lunch and Learn) The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Young Populations with Dr. Saskia Boggs General Public Register Here | Sid Mishkin Room, The Top, Pyle Center |
| 12:40-2:10 pm | Composing a Conceptual Plate: A conceptual art exercise inspired by Casa de Cambios with Gil Rocha General Public Register Here | Makerspace, Robinson Communication Center |
| 12:40-2:10 pm | Improv, Social Justice & Collective Poetry with Kevin Ballou and Wesley “Wallstreet Wes” Robinson, Returning Artists Guild General Public Register Here | The Underground, Pyle Center |
| 12:40-2:10 pm | Differing Perspectives on Immigration, facilitated by Braver Angels General Public Register Here | Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
| 1:50-3:20 pm | Immigration 101: Foundational U.S. Immigration Policy with Samantha Searls, Ignite Peace General Public Register Here | Sid Mishkin Room, The Top, Pyle Center |
| 1:50-3:20 pm | Botanical Art & Ritual Creation with Sheena Hanscel, Returning Artists Guild General Public Register Here | Peace Resource Center |
| 1:50-3:20 pm | Practicing Peace in Prison with Dr. Laura Heller, Aaron Nell, and Dr. Jonathan Sparks-Franklin General Public Register Here | Library Room 1, Watson Library |
| 3:30-5:00 pm | Singing as Resistance Laura Clapp and Cathy Roma General Public Register Here | Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center |
Notable speakers and facilitators to include:
- Dr. Saskia Boggs, Associate Professor of Psychology, Wilmington College
- Dr. Laura Clapp, Assistant Professor of Music, Wilmington College
- Ms. Hope Florea, Prison Education Site Coordinator, Wilmington College
- Dr. Laura Heller, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Wilmington College
- Ms. Bev Horstman and Mr. David Lapp of the Citizens Commission on Immigration at the Lebanon, Ohio Braver Angels organization
- Ms. Jane Katsuyma, who was forcibly removed from her California home with her family during Japanese American internment in 1942
- Mr. Bob Lucas, Folk musician, music educator, and songwriter
- Dr. Ursula McTaggart, Professor of English and Prison Education Program Area Coordinator, Wilmington College
- Dr. Lindsey Mattern, Assistant Professor of Biology, Wilmington College
- Mr. Aaron Nell, Prison Education Program Site Coordinator, Wilmington College
- Members of the Returning Artists Guild (Kevin Balou, Sheen Hanscel, and Wesley Robinson), an abolitionist guild of justice-impacted artists
- Mr. Pierce Reed, Director of Policy, Legislation, and Communications for the Ohio Innocence Project, University of Cincinnati
- Mr. Gil Rocha, a contemporary artist born and raised in Laredo, Texas
- Dr. Cathy Roma, DMA, Professor Emeritus of Music, Wilmington College, Director, World House Choir
- Dr. Jonathan Sparks-Franklin, Assistant Professor of Religion & Philosophy, Wilmington College
- Mr. Joe Spring, founder of Cincinnati-based Spring Legal Law Firm, LLC
- Ms. Samantha Searls, Program Director, Ignite Peace with a special focus on immigration justice
- Mr. Ayman Solimon, former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Chaplain who was illegally detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in summer 2025
With a special performance by “Midwestern Mrs” on Monday, October 5 from at the Marble Grill and Fire pit. Rain location TBD.