Global peace issues take center stage at annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest
Event: C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest
Date and time: Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Umble Center
Cost: Free and open to the public
Five Goshen College students will present speeches during the 2016 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest on Tuesday, March 15. The annual event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Umble Center and is free and open to the public.
This year’s participants and their topics are:
Alma Rosa Carrillo, a junior interdisciplinary (nursing, sociology, peace, justice and conflict studies) major from Mexico City, Mexico, will speak on “The Other Side of the Fence.”
Christina Hofer, a senior theater major from Dolton, South Dakota, will speak on “Discrediting the Single Story of Islam.”
Peter Meyer Reimer, a senior biology and interdisciplinary major from Goshen, will speak on “What evil is, and why it’s us, you included.”
Noemi “Mimi” Salvador, a junior peace, justice and conflict studies major from Kitu Cara, Ecuador, will speak on “Privatizing agony, protecting sacred waters.”
Morgan Yordy, a sophomore history and peace, justice and conflict studies major from Rochelle, Illinois, will speak on “All About That Bass: It’s Time for a Body Revolution.”
The participants will deliver 8- to 10-minute speeches on topics of their choosing that relate to peace. The speeches will be judged on originality, integration of the topic and a peace position, and general standards of delivery. Refreshments will be provided while the judges deliberate.
The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest is a U.S./Canada Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored event. Participants compete for cash prizes provided by the trust of C. Henry Smith, a Mennonite historian and professor at Goshen and Bluffton (Ohio) colleges. The purpose of the contest is to give students the opportunity to become involved with the cause for peace and develop rhetorical skills.
Speech contests have been a tradition at Goshen College since the early 1900s. The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest provides the opportunity for the campus community to hear about contemporary peace issues. See an archive of past winners.