The best way to protect students from violence

Quote of the day -- from an article in today's issue of the Austin American-Statesman about recommendations made by the Texas Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security:

"The best way to protect students from violence is to prevent youth from considering violence as a solution to their problems in the first place." -- Stephanie Rubin, CEO of Texans Care for Children

Vera May Shirley, Presente

I'm thinking today especially about Vera May Shirley, who was holding her first newborn son on August 6, 1945 when she heard the news about the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. She later named that moment as the beginning of her journey to pacifism, as she imagined the horror of mothers like her holding their children in Japan. She knew they were not her enemies. Vera became active in many peacemaking efforts over the years, including organizing a chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Austin, where I met her. She co-founded Sustainable Options for Youth in 1997, and her gentle, perceptive, generous spirit attracted me and others to the group that continues in her memory.