The Joiner Center Celebrates Twenty Years of Study and Response to the Consequences of War

By Peter Grennen

On October 25 at the John F. Kennedy Library, Chancellor Gora was joined by political dignitaries, scholars, and other guests for a special anniversary toast. That day marked twenty years since the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences officially opened its doors. The commemorative gala was hosted by Chancellor Gora and Senator John Kerry. Senator Kerry delivered the keynote address.

Those gathered for the occasion celebrated a vital and respected institution. Named for an African American war veteran and the university’s first director of veterans’ affairs, the Center was established at the urging of UMass Boston veterans who had identified a pressing need. “A blanket of amnesia about the war in Vietnam—and alarming misinformation among the young—had enveloped the nation only seven years after the war ended,” says Professor Paul Atwood, a founding member of the Center and one of its first directors.

Under the guidance of Kevin Bowen, director for the past seventeen years, the Center has devoted much of its resources to examination of the Vietnam War, but has also engaged in studies of World War II, the Korean War, and, more recently, the Gulf War and other areas of conflict. The Center was one of the first organizations to reestablish contact with Vietnam after the war; with the assistance of the Ford Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, and other agencies, it has sponsored cultural, economic, and educational exchanges since 1987.

The Center has also turned its attention to veterans’ current pursuits. Paul Camacho, director of special projects and programs, has worked tirelessly for full implementation of the Veterans’ Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999, particularly with respect to federal funding for small businesses owned by veterans. Jaime Rodriguez’s efforts on such initiatives as the Full Circle Project, which returned twenty-four veterans to Vietnam, have resulted in groundbreaking contributions to understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder.

For the past fifteen years, the Center’s Writers Workshop, directed by T. Michael Sullivan, has brought writers from around the world for two weeks in June. Hailed as the “best and most important writers’ conference in the country” by Martin Espada, it boasts a faculty that includes writers such as Tim O’Brien, Grace Paley, and Bruce Weigl. In addition, Jaime Rodriguez coordinates a program that brings Hispanic writers into classrooms in Boston schools.

In recent years the Center has been awarded a number of prestigious grants. A Rockefeller Foundation grant has enabled the Center to host scholars studying the Vietnamese Diaspora. Nguyen Ba Chung, director of the Center’s Vietnam Today program, has coordinated the program. Last year a grant from the U.S. Department of State supported a study tour for twelve young Vietnamese writers visiting the United States for a month; a new grant will support three-month visits for four “Joiner Fellows” from Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Vietnam next year.

Four individuals were honored during the evening event for their contributions. They were UMass Boston’s own former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Charles Desmond; Robert Muller, one of the founders of the Campaign to Ban Landmines; Ernesto Gonzalez, health care advocate; and Sheila Spicer, veterans’ counselor and women veterans activist.

The honorary chairmen for the celebration were Marshall Carter, a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government and former CEO of State Street, and Wainwright Bank president Robert Glassman. Writer and scholar Jonathan Schell served as master of ceremonies. Artwork by Ken Hruby and materials from Center collections were on display at the reception. Many leading advocates and friends of the Center, including Congressman Steven Lynch, poet Fred Marchant, Lloyd Schwartz, Troy Professor of English and Creative Writing, and members of the Joiner family, were in attendance.

Image: The Joiner Center staff (from left to right) - Front row: Monica Branley, Mary Sheinfeld, and Jaime Rodriguez. Middle row: Paul Camacho, Nguyen Ba Chung, Augusto St. Silva, Carol Cullen, Joan McIntyre, Patrick McCormack. Final row: T. Michael Sullivan, Paul Atwood, and Kevin Bowen. (Photo by Leslie Bowen)

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