While military monuments and memorials are a common part of our landscapes, those spaces that are dedicated to peace are more difficult to find. This is true both because they are less numerous than military monuments and because they are less obvious.What would it mean to live in a society that believed that celebrating peace and those who worked for it was at least as important as celebrating those who fight wars? Where do such peace spaces exist in the La Crosse area and in the world? What makes for a “peace space”, what values do peace spaces reinforce, and why are they so important for a society to flourish? How do such spaces offer us new ways to see the world and to live in it?

Deborah Buffton taught history at UWL for 33 years before retiring in 2020. She has long been interested in the effects of war on society and on peace movements. She has recently collaborated with three other scholars to edit The Handbook of Peace History, which will be published in August and is currently writing an article on public spaces that are devoted to peace. She also participates in weekly peace vigils in La Crosse.

Youth RE Classes will take place this Sunday!

For information about attending in person, links to Zoom login info, Sunday’s Order of Service, Online Giving and more click here –> linktr.ee/uulacrosse