Board of Trustees approved Dr. John Haas to go to Northern Ireland for a conference regarding his paper ‘Written Out of History: Irish Women Weaving Webs of Peace’ at the 19th anniversary of Good Friday Peace of 1998 conference.

He was approved at the Board of Trustees meeting that took place on Feb. 1.

“I have been working on a film documentary about the contributions women made for peace in the Good Friday Peace of 1998 for about [two] years now, [s]o when I saw [that] there was an international conference in Belfast on Good Friday 2017 commemorating the 19th Anniversary, I wanted to go.

“I submitted a presentation proposal and my proposal was accepted by peer evaluation,” Haas said.

According to Dr. Haas, the Good Friday Agreement was established to put an end to “30 years of sectarian violence” between Catholic and Protestant religions in Northern Ireland.

He said, “I am excited to go because the conference will bring experts from around the world together to critically examine and profit from lessons learned from the Good Friday Peace.”

ASCC Chief Justice Rodrigo Quintas went to speak on behalf of Dr. Haas at the Board of Trustees meeting.

“Dr. Haas didn’t know that I would be doing this… I saw it on the agenda and I thought, ‘They should at least know […] that one student actually came to the Board Room and said, ‘You know what? I think this is important,’” Quintas said.

Quintas mentioned that he took a class with Haas, “…and it became very apparent from his teaching style, whereas most teachers know history, Dr. Haas has really tried to differentiate himself by living history.”

Haas wants the world to know about the many contributions women made for peace in the Good Friday Agreement. He says that the women are forgotten, which references the title to his paper, “Written out of History…”

“Even though women from Northern Ireland have been pivotal to civil rights, women’s rights, human rights, and peace movements from the beginning, they have largely been written out of history.

“An examination of the role of women as peace builders represents a much-needed corrective to the current patriarchal narrative of “the Troubles” and the peace process in Northern Ireland,” Haas said.

He believes the agreement can be used as a model for other countries that are experiencing sectarian conflict and wants to share the experience with students and faculty when he returns. He also believes it is a global conference.

“Peace educators, historians, city planners, mayors, artists, researchers, professors of ethics, professors of international relations around the world are traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland to examine the legacy of the Good Friday Peace which ended 30 years of sectarian conflict,” Haas stated.

Haas has presented several papers on Conflict Resolution in Ireland, New Zealand, Palestine, Rumania, Turkey, and the U.N.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about Cerritos College on the world stage. I plan to film my presentation which will be valuable for the departments of History, Global Studies, International Relations, and Women’s Studies,” Haas expressed.

Quintas added, “I thought it was very important for the board- even if they weren’t going to have any conflict with it at all- to know that there are students who feel that it’s important that […] you allow professors who are going out of their way to bring that dynamic into the classroom, [and] that students support it.”

Haas’s presentation will be filmed in Belfast, and said, “The History Department, Global Studies, International Studies, British Studies, and Women’s Studies will all benefit from the conference in Belfast. Cerritos College will receive international recognition for its participation.”

Quintas expressed, “As a college, it can say ‘You know we have professors that have spoken at conferences internationally that brings [the] college to a next dynamic.’ It benefits everybody.”