EAST LANSING, Mich. — John Masterson has been a member of the East Lansing Peace Education Center for over 50 years.
Masterson says the Peace Education Center is about educating and promoting the good of all people and the Earth and trying to stop injustices from happening.
“The only reason people are fighting generally, it's because of injustices of one kind or another," Masterson said.
Becky Payne says she joined the group to help educate others on the adverse effects of war and bring light to causes that promote peace and understanding.
She says she is also interested in human rights issues the Peace Education Center supports.
“We are working with a young woman who's working on a project for LGBT people in a Kenyan migrant camp, who are being treated very badly because of their sexual orientation. She is doing great work on that. So, they are part of our organization too," Payne said.
Members of the Peace Education Center also lead monthly discussions on domestic and global issues they say affect everyone.
They lead peaceful protests and draw attention to equity issues and sustainability, but their main focus is peace and justice.
Masterson says peace and justice are similiar.
“Peace is justice. I think if you have justice, you automatically have peace. The best thing I can think of saying is with justice comes peace," he said.
Payne says the group also gives scholarships to local high school students dedicated to the cause yearly.
“We try to pick the ones who have done something out of the ordinary that works towards peace and justice. People who want to continue that work into their college and lifetime. So, we look for students who go a little bit outside of the norm in founding groups, or founding protests or working for causes and they take that in their school and do active work on that," she said.
Collin Scheib, a recent Bath High School graduate, received one of this year’s $500 scholarships.
Scheib says winning the scholarship was a great gift.
“My friend and me reached out to the Red Cross, because our school stopped having a blood drive since COVID happened. We were able to organize having one, and we ended up getting enough blood to save 96 lives," Scheib said. "That's important to me because when I was young my mom was in the hospital. Her life was saved from blood. So, I thought that if I can make a difference like that and save people's lives, and just try to promote more peace on earth through it, that would be really special.”
We agree and want to thank the East Lansing Peace Education Center, who are this week’s Good Neighbors.
If you would like more information on the East Lansing Peace Education Center, visit their website at www.peaceedcenter.org
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