Peace activist and hip-hop singer will address Kennesaw State community
Emmanuel Jal to headline Stand Up for Peace event March 31 as students attempt to
break Guinness…
Georgia
(Mar 20, 2012) —
Emmanuel Jal to headline Stand Up for Peace event March 31 as students attempt to
break Guinness world record for largest human peace sign
KENNESAW, Ga. March 20, 2012–­ Sudanese peace activist and international hip-hop star Emmanuel Jal will address
the Kennesaw State University community on Saturday, March 31, on the Campus Green
as thousands of students attempt to break the record for the world’s largest human
peace sign.
Jal, a child soldier from Sudan who became known as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan,
will also be speaking to KSU students in a master class workshop on performance studies
for social activism on Tuesday, March 27.
Jal has emerged into a global recording artist acclaimed for his unique style of global
hip-hop music and his message of peace and reconciliation. In 2008, a full-length
documentary on his life, “Warchild,” won 12 film-festival awards. For his commitment
to peace building, Jal received the 2011 Common Ground Award previously awarded to
Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mohammad Ali. Jal has addressed the United Nations and U.S.
Congress.His 2009 TED Global talk was a YouTube sensation.
Jal, who lives in the U.K., comes to Atlanta at the invitation of nonprofit Mothering
Across Continents and Kennesaw State. One of Mothering Across Continents’ flagship
efforts is Raising South Sudan, a project that helps former Lost Boys of Sudan fund
education, school building and clean water in the Republic of South Sudan. The Lost
Boys refers to 3,800 young men invited in 2001 to leave refugee camps and come to
the U.S. to begin new lives.
KSU graduate Nathaniel Nyok, a former Lost Boy of Sudan and participant in the Raising
South Sudan project, will join Jal in delivering the message that youth locally can
be a positive force for global change.
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Kennesaw State University is the third-largest university in Georgia, offering 80
graduate and undergraduate degrees, including doctorates in education, business and
nursing, and a new Ph.D. in international conflict management. A member of the 35-unit
University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a comprehensive, residential institution
with a growing population of 24,100 students from more than 130 countries.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 38,000 students. With 13 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
