NORTHAMPTON — Edwards Church will host a public forum Saturday discussing the legacy of human rights and world peace activist Jane Addams, an event that will be held on what the state last week officially declared “Jane Addams Day.”
The forum, “Rediscovering Jane Addams in a Time of Crisis,” will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church, 297 Main St.
The event is free and open to the public. Audience discussion is encouraged, and those working in the same fields Addams did will reflect on the ways the feminist, suffragist and pacifist influences activism in the Pioneer Valley today.
Addams co-founded Chicago’s Hull House, the NAACP, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the ACLU. In 1931, Addams received the Nobel Peace Prize — the first American woman to win. She died in 1935 at age 74.
“The moral compass of Jane Addams and her allies has never been more needed than now,” said an event press release.
Speakers include biographer Louise W. Knight, state Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, state Rep. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, professors, directors of local nonprofits and others.
Following a welcoming speech from event organizer Rutherford H. Platt, a University of Massachusetts professor emeritus, the first panel will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., with Knight the keynote speaker.
A panel on immigration and refugee issues will be held from 10:45 a.m. to noon; social and environmental justice will be from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m.; and “Waging Peace: From Jane Addams to ICAN” will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. There will be breaks in between panels and a musical conclusion.
In addition to its designation as Veterans Day, Nov. 11 has been declared Jane Addams Day in Massachusetts by a legislative joint resolution co-sponsored by Rosenberg and Vega. Nov. 11 marks the 99th anniversary of Armistice Day when World War I ended.
“Rediscovering Jane Addams in a Time of Crisis” is sponsored by Mass Humanities, in association with the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice and other organizations.
As space is limited, those who wish to attend should register online at www.facebook.com/RediscoveringJaneAddams.