International president visits Ann Arbor

WILPF International President Kozue Akibayashi, WILPF US President Mary Hanson Harrison, Clare Hanrahan, Dianna Carlson, and Ellen Thomas say farewells at Reagan National Airport. Credit: Ellen Thomas.

By Dawn Nelson

The Ann Arbor WILPF Branch had the pleasure of hosting International WILPF President Kozue Akibayashi for dinner before her guest lecture at the University of Michigan International Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Tuesday, September 20. Longtime WILPF members Alan and Odile Hugonot Haber graciously prepared a delicious meal at their home on the old west side, and a small group of local WILPF members enjoyed dinner and conversation in celebration of the International Day of Peace. Dr. Akibayashi remarked that she was very happy to have a chance to visit a part of the US she doesn’t usually have the opportunity to see, as she is so often on the West and East Coasts when visiting the States. 

Her guest lecture, titled “A Gender Perspective on Peace and Security: The Experiences of Women in Okinawa,” was co-sponsored by the International Institute, along with the Ann Arbor Branch of WILPF. Additionally, the U-M Center for Japanese Studies faculty and staff were very happy to hear Dr. Akibayashi would be visiting the campus, and shared news of the event with university students and community networks in the local area. The event was well attended, and the audience very appreciative of the rich information Dr. Akibayashi shared about women’s experiences in Okinawa.

We were very happy to enjoy this time with her, and look forward hopefully to future occasions.

Other highlights of Kozue Akibayashi’s US visit

On September 19, Kozue Akibayashi joined the ONE WILPF all member call. She spoke briefly and informally to members on the call and then took questions and engaged in dialogue with call participants.

Kozue also spoke on Wednesday, September 21, in celebration of the International Day of Peace, at Wayne State University, in Detroit, courtesy of the WSU Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.

She was one of the speakers at the World Beyond War conference, September 23-26. Video of her presentations, as well as presentations by other WILPF members, are available on the World Beyond War website. For photos and more reports on the conference, visit the WILPF US Facebook page .

And, the Santa Cruz and San Jose Branches hosted Kozue on September 27 and 28. Read about that visit in an earlier WILPF US news story .