Season of Nonviolence
Inspired by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., César Chávez and Chief Wilma Mankiller, the annual Season of Nonviolence honors these leaders’ visions for an empowered, nonviolent world. Colleges and universities throughout the country celebrate the Season of Nonviolence by bringing together community partners to educate and empower communities on how to use nonviolent methods to create a more peaceful world.
2025 is the 17th year Central Oregon Community College has been hosting programming to honor the Season of Nonviolence. The programming is co-presented by The Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series and the College's Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
All Season of Nonviolence events are FREE and OPEN to the public.
Belonging, Justice, and Our Shared Humanity
Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu – Race and Gender Justice Activist, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Monday, January 27, 6:30 p.m., Tower Theatre, Bend
We all strive for a world where everyone feels like they belong. Rather than focus on what separates us, Rev. Naomi Tutu will encourage us to focus on our shared humanity. She believes it’s important for everyone to recognize how our actions, or lack thereof, impact those around us. She will talk about how our differences are opportunities, and how the foundation for a just society is where we accept others and recognize the potential for greatness in each of us. This will foster a brighter future where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
FREE and OPEN to the public.
Registration required for in-person event or access to the recorded version.
Currently the in-person event is at capacity. If you would like to be put on the waitlist, please call (541) 317- 0700. When a
ticket becomes available the Tower box office will reach out to you and you will have
48 hours (excluding weekends & holidays) to get back to the Tower claiming your tickets.
If they do not hear from you by that time, you will be removed from the waiting list
and they will reach out to the next person in line.
We recommend you register to receive the recording event below:
Register for access to the recorded event here (you will receive a link to the recording several days after the event. This is not
a livestreamed event.)
ASL interpretation provided at the Tower Theatre.
The challenges of growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa have been the foundation of the Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu’s life as a motivational speaker and activist for human rights. Those experiences taught her that our whole human family loses when we accept situations of oppression, and how the teaching and preaching of hate and division injure us all.
The human rights activist’s professional experience ranges from being an economist and development consultant in West Africa to being a program coordinator for programs on Race and Gender and Gender-based Violence in Education at the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town. In addition, the Rev. Tutu has taught at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and Brevard College in North Carolina. She served as Program Coordinator for the historic Race Relations Institute at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and was a part of the Institute’s delegation to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.
Growing up the “daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu” has
offered Naomi many opportunities and challenges in her life. Perhaps one of the greatest
struggles was the call to ministry. She knew early in life that the one thing she
would never be was a priest. She always said, “I have my father’s nose, I do not want
his job.” It refused to be silenced, even as she carried her passion for justice into
other fields. The call to preach and serve as an ordained clergyperson continued to
tug at her. Finally, in her 50s, she responded and went to seminary. She is an Episcopal
priest who most recently served as Associate Rector at All Saints, Beverly Hills.
She currently resides in Atlanta where she is a priest associate at All Saints’ Episcopal.
She started her public speaking as a college student at Berea College in Kentucky
in the 1970s when she was invited to speak at churches, community groups and colleges
and universities about her experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa. Since
that time, she has become a much sought-after speaker to groups as varied as business
associations, professional conferences, elected officials and church and civic organizations.
The Rev. Tutu knew from the time she was young that she wanted to help change the
lives of others and make a difference in the world. But she wanted to carve her own
path. And that she has done.
As well as speaking and preaching, the Rev. Tutu has established Nozizwe Consulting. Its mission is to bring different groups together to learn from and celebrate their differences and acknowledge their shared humanity. As part of this work, she has led Truth and Reconciliation Workshops for groups dealing with different types of conflict. She is the recipient of four honorary doctorates from universities and colleges in the U.S. and Nigeria. She has served as a curate at Christ Church Cathedral as a Canon Missioner for Racial and Economic Equity, and as a Canon Missioner for Kairos West Community Center for the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, N.C. She is a single mother of two daughters and a son.
Student Event:
A Conversation with Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu
Monday, January 27, noon - 1 p.m.
COCC Bend Campus, Coats Campus Center, Wille Hall
Students are invited to join an informal conversation and Q&A with race and gender justice activist Rev. Naomi Tutu. The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev. Tutu carries on the family legacy to heal the wounds of racism.
The challenges of growing up Black and female during apartheid in South Africa have been the foundation of Tutu’s life as an activist for human rights. Those experiences taught her that our whole human family loses when we accept situations of oppression, and how the teaching of hate and division injure us all.
We also encourage students to attend Tutu’s keynote presentation at 6:30 p.m. at the Tower Theatre the same day.
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS.
Community Book Discussions
Belonging without Othering: How we Save Ourselves and the World
by john a. powell & Stephen Menendian
As the threat of authoritarianism grows across the globe, this book makes the case that belonging without othering is the necessary, but not the inevitable, next step in our long journey toward creating truly equitable and thriving societies. The authors argue that we must build institutions, cultivate practices, and orient ourselves toward a shared future, not only to heal ourselves, but perhaps to save our planet as well. Brimming with clear guidance, sparkling insights, and specific examples and practices, Belonging without Othering is a future-oriented exploration that ushers us in a more hopeful direction.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Trinity Episcopal Church
Wednesdays beginning January 29, 3:30-5 p.m.
In-Person
Contact Betsy Warriner at betsy@betsywarriner.com to register
Knowledge Seekers
Mondays beginning February 3, 6-7 p.m.
Hybrid (Virtual and in-person)
Contact Marcus LeGrand at mlegrand2@cocc.edu to register
Barber Library Discussion Group
Tuesdays beginning February 4, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Virtual
Contact Kirsten Hostetler at khostetler@cocc.edu to register
COCC Equity & Well-Being
Thursdays beginning February 20, 5-6 p.m.
Virtual
Contact Christy Walker at cwalker2@cocc.edu to register
Turtle Wisdom: Personal, Political, Playful
Artist Talk by Betty LaDuke
Wednesday, February 19, 5:30 p.m., West Wing Reading Room, Barber Library, COCC Bend Campus
For more than 60 years, LaDuke has traveled the globe as an artist and activist. In 2021, she began an artistic journey with her Turtle Wisdom pieces. Turtles became her symbolic storytellers, offering observations on current events. Each colorful, wood Turtle tells a story and has been created to invite conversation rather than provide answers.
LaDuke’s Turtle Wisdom exhibit will be on display at COCC’s Barber Library Rotunda from January 6 to March 25.
Barber Library is hosting an artist reception at 4:30 p.m. the same day in the Rotunda.
ASL interpretation will be provided.
FREE and OPEN to the public. Please register here to reserve a seat.
Check back soon for more Season of Nonviolence programming announcements.
Thank you to our 2025 Season of Nonviolence Sponsors!
Premier Sponsors:
First Story
The National Endowment for the Humanities
With additional support from:
Associated Students of COCC
Brooks Resources Corporation
Cascades Academy
Oregon Community Foundation - The Casey Family Fund
The Tower Theatre
Questions? Need more information? Contact Charlotte Gilbride cgilbride@cocc.edu / 541-383-7272 or Christy Walker cwalker2@cocc.edu / 541-383-7412.