Senior Naomi Lapp Klassen wins annual peace oratorical contest

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Naomi Lapp Klassen, a senior history and criminal and restorative justice double major from Goshen, won Goshen College’s annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest on Tuesday night with her speech, “Confronting Mass Incarceration: A Story of Agency and Sight.”

Lapp Klassen shared a story about riding along with a police officer and witnessing an arrest of a local man for public intoxication. She argued that we need to be aware of the injustice within the prison systems, saying, “if we seek often invisible issues, we’ll rediscover a sense of empowerment that’s been clouded by our hurting world.”

With her win, Lapp Klassen is entered into the intercollegiate Mennonite Central Committee C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, a binational competition, as well as earning a $500 prize.

Senior sociology major Peace Muhagachi won second place, and a $350 prize, speaking on “The Value of Restorative Justice in Our Lives.” The speech’s opening line was, “I often think of how ironic it is to be named Peace — yet carry as much inner turmoil as I do.”

Muhagachi spoke about growing up in Tanzania and the everyday violence that was present there, and the ways to address — and repair — violence and harm done, through the restorative justice process. “When our values are rooted in respect,” Muhagachi said, “we can see the humanity in others and begin to live restoratively.”

Three other students also spoke: junior Kate Bodiker, junior Lindsey Graber and senior Alyssa McDonald.

Bodiker’s speech, “Breaking Bread: The Restorative Power of Eating Together,” touched on the importance of food and the intrinsic community that comes with it. She discussed the modern shame and guilt that society attaches to food, and the importance of sharing the time we use to eat with others.

 

Graber discussed the power of changing systems from the inside in “Reconciling It All: Justice Within Broken Systems.” Speaking from aspirations of being a lawyer as a child, Graber talked about the challenges that come from working within the justice system — yet understanding that the best way to make a difference is to do so from within the system itself.

 

McDonald spoke on the power of argument in “Getting Along Better by Arguing More.” She shared personal experiences with her family, where their dinner conversations would often be arguments — about topics large and small alike — and how they were typically positive experiences for everyone involved, whether or not anyone’s mind was changed.

 

The panel of judges for this year’s competition was comprised of Breanna Nickel ’10, assistant professor of Bible and religion at Goshen College; Richard Aguirre, clerk-treasurer of the City of Goshen; and Mark Schloneger ’92, pastor of Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship in Goshen.

The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, sponsored by the U.S./Canada Mennonite Central Committee, provides students with a platform to engage in meaningful discourse and advocate for peace. The contest honors the legacy of C. Henry Smith, a revered Mennonite historian and professor, by empowering students to develop their rhetorical skills and contribute to the cause for peace.