The Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Social Work in conjunction with the Peace and Conflict Studies program at Missouri Western State University present “The Department of Justice Peacemakers” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 in the Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum Student Union 218-219. The presentation by Pascual Marquez and Darryck Dean of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS) is free and open to the public. There will be a time for questions and answers after Marquez and Dean speak.
The CRS is the Justice Department’s “peacemaker” for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color and national origin.
Marquez, director of the Region VII CRS office in Kansas City, Mo., will present “Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – The History of the Community Relations Service – Racial Tensions.” Next year, CRS turns 50. CRS was created during a time of elevated racial tension and violence, to respond to communities experiencing disputes disturbances or difficulties based on race, color or national origin. School desegregation, Freedom marches, Sit-in’s, and boycotts marked the heights of the civil rights struggle in American cities. Throughout its history, CRS has quietly conciliated the tense, often violent protests that have bookmarked the struggle for racial and ethnic equality.
Dean, a conciliation specialist with CRS, will present “Conciliating Community Disputes – Administration of Justice, School and Community Tensions – Complex Conflicts.” CRS mediators carry no guns or badges and cannot file law suits. Nevertheless, they represent the Department of Justice in one of its most important missions – providing assistance and support to State and local authorities in their efforts to prevent violence and resolve destructive conflicts. As representatives of the Department of Justice, CRS mediators have the credibility and trust to work effectively with people on all sides of the conflict. CRS assists schools and universities in effectively dealing with incidents of tension or violence associated with race, color, or national origin. In 2009, with passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, CRS also works with communities to employ strategies to prevent and respond to alleged violent hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
The presentation is part of the annual Criminal Justice Week on Missouri Western’s campus. For more information, contact Barb Harris in the Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Social Work at 816-271-4293 or baharris@missouriwestern.edu.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.
originally published 2/20/2014, 15:21