Ep 122 - Being Hearable: Regina Shands Stoltzfus on Teaching Peace, Trauma, and Sustaining Activism (Because You Can't Teach Peace Without Understanding Violence)

Ep 122 - Being Hearable: Regina Shands Stoltzfus on Teaching Peace, Trauma, and Sustaining Activism (Because You Can't Teach Peace Without Understanding Violence)

From Created Creative Podcast by Ruth Hetland and Dawn Trautman

March 23, 2026 · 44 min · Season 1 · Episode 122

About this episode

Regina Shands Stoltzfus discusses the intersection of peace education, trauma, and activism in the context of teaching and systemic violence.

If you enjoy Created Creative Podcast, we warmly invite you to become a patron: patreon.com/u11072417 For just $10 a month you can become part of our monthly Created Creative Conversations. Find out more below! 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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ruth Hetland, Dawn Trautman

Guest: Regina Shands Stoltzfus

Topics covered

  • peace education
  • activism
  • trauma
  • systemic violence
  • justice work
  • DEI work

Keywords

  • peace
  • trauma
  • activism
  • education
  • systemic violence
  • justice
  • DEI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Goshen College, Mennonite Church USA

Books & works: Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace

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