Carl Wilkens
Wilkens’ interactive presentation, “Restorative Pathways: Lessons from Rwanda,” will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom at http://bit.ly/2020MBK.
The only American who chose to stay in Kigali, Rwanda, throughout the 1994 genocide, Wilkens worked with his Rwandan colleagues to help save the lives of hundreds, bringing food, water and medicine to groups of orphans trapped around the city. His harrowing yet hopeful journey weaves together stories of tremendous risk and fierce compassion in the midst of senseless slaughter.
In 2011, Wilkens completed a book detailing those days titled “I’m Not Leaving,” which also inspired a documentary film. Among the many lessons Wilkens shares from his experience is the transformative belief that people don’t have to be defined by what they lost or their worst choices. He and his wife, Teresa, formed World Outside My Shoes, an educational nonprofit, to help share his experiences with students.
“Carl’s message of reconciliation and restorative pathways is so timely given the current political divide and ongoing public health crisis in this country,” said Zak Montgomery, associate professor of Spanish and Harry and Polly Slife Professor in Humanities. “We can all use ideas about how to communicate more civilly and productively with each other in this moment.”
The Michaelson, Briner & Kildahl Literary Symposium is presented by the Slife Professorship in Humanities with generous support from Steve and Jane Noah and other donors to the MBK Endowment.
The symposium was created through a leadership gift commitment from alumni Steven and Jane Noah and Dale and Judy Goeke in support of an annual event that would bring an author, poet or other literary figure to campus to engage students, faculty, staff and the broader community in activities to stimulate critical thought. It celebrates the legacy of former Wartburg English professors Sam Michaelson (1966-92), K.D. Briner (1966-76) and Phillip Kildahl (1961-77 and 1980-82).