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Dawn and Ruth welcome Regina Shands Stoltzfus, Goshen College professor in northern Indiana and Mennonite Church USA member, whose journey from peace education and anti-racism training led her through activism, pastoring, seminary, and into higher education.

Regina's book Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace tackles something crucial: You can't teach peace without studying violence. And to do that effectively, you have to be "hearable" creating space where students can actually listen and engage without shutting down from trauma.

She's using historical cases like the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 to teach about systemic violence, addressing secondary trauma in the classroom, and navigating the current political pressures around DEI work. Regina defines what it means to "work together for justice" across different professions and commits to creating an accountability plan for her next book on the seasons of activism life.

This conversation is for educators, activists, and anyone wondering how to sustain justice work without burning out, how to teach difficult truths without retraumatizing people, and what it actually takes to be "hearable" in a world that's often too loud or too defensive to listen.

LINKS: We love making this podcast for you and we'd love your support for! patreon.com/u11072417 Join at the $10 level and become part of Created Creative Conversations where you can get support from Dawn and Ruth and other creatives for your own new project! Want to write a book? Dreaming of starting a business? In April our theme is "Seeds of Possibility" and we'll help you get moving!

Find out more about our guest, Regina Shands Stoltzfus: https://www.goshen.edu/academics/faculty/regina-shands-stoltzfus/

00:17 New Tech Week

00:30 Tech Rage Stories

02:28 Get Human Help

02:44 Church Water Timer

03:32 Small Town Singalong

07:30 Meet Regina

08:11 From Activism to Academia

11:16 Teaching in a Red State

13:05 New Book Launch

14:06 Teaching Peace Studies Violence

16:35 Holding Trauma in Class

17:35 Writing Through Sabbatical

20:08 Course Design for Care

21:32 Hearable as Black Professor

23:22 Student Pushback and Growth

25:12 Systemic Violence Rhymes

26:00 Citations Over Opinions

26:15 Fake Historian Cred

26:47 First Solo Book

27:39 Writing Through 2024

29:30 Teaching Under Scrutiny

31:09 Choosing the Right Rooms

32:17 Work Together Justice

34:30 Conflict Skills Everywhere

36:53 Next Book Seasons

38:14 Accountability Mapping Plan

40:40 Memorial Day Deadline