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If the Nobel Committee is committed to celebrating peace, then it will award the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize to one of the most principled and dedicated statesmen, activists and champions of human rights of this generation: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Historically, the prize has been awarded to actors (or organizations) that have led major negotiations or led nonviolent resistance movements.

Often maligned as being a dogmatic firebrand, Nasrallah does not reject diplomacy or nonviolence outright. In the early 2000’s he helped to negotiate the release of hundreds of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners in multiple exchanges with the Israeli government. Shias, prior to the creation of Hezbollah, were marginalized by the Sunni majority especially during Ottoman rule and were underrepresented in government; Nasrallah gave Shias a voice in Lebanese politics.

In the aftermath of the Cedar Revolution, when Lebanon was fraught with sectarian tension, Nasrallah managed to bring together Shias and Christians to form a coalition government that reformed the flawed and corruption-prone confessional system. He established a strong social safety net building schools, hospitals and outreach programs for Lebanese citizens and after the Israeli war in 2006 helped to rebuild most of the homes destroyed in Lebanon during the war.

However, even if Nasrallah was unwilling to negotiate, that should not automatically disqualify him as a Nobel candidate. The focus on negotiations and nonviolence by the Nobel Committee is short-sighted. Negotiations are often the final step in resolving long and destructive conflicts. The groundwork for the negotiations must be laid before negotiation can began, and some Peace Prize winners, including Nelson Mandela, were aware of this.

It is important to take into consideration the conditions that precipitated Hezbollah’s rise: Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Even former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak acknowledges that, with regards to the Israeli occupation in 1982, “it was our presence there that created Hezbollah.” He helped to expel Israel from Lebanon not only unifying Sunnis, Shias and Christians in Lebanon, but Arabs all over the Middle East.

Some critics of Nasrallah argue that though Hezbollah’s origins may be noble, they have devolved into reckless adventurism. The 2006 war with Israel and intervention in the Syrian Civil War in particular have drawn heavy criticism. The 2006 incursion into Israel should be put into proper context. There were many Lebanese and Palestinian militants in Israeli prisons after the defeat of the Southern Lebanon Army and Nasrallah wanted to pressure Israel into releasing them.

The conflict has spilt over into Lebanon, and America and Israel have provided support for the FSA which contained elements of Jahbat Al Nusra – a jihadist group intent on spreading a radical form of Wahhabist Sunni Islam. The threats he has made as of late claiming that he is capable of destroying Israeli ammonia plants in Haifa, aggressive as they seem, are critical in maintaining regional stability.

Israel possesses nuclear weapons and is backed by the global superpower. If left unchecked, they would be able to act with impunity across the region. Hassan Nasrallah’s name will be etched in history for being one of the few men dedicated to ensuring that there is real sustainable peace in the Middle East and it behooves the Nobel Committee to recognize this, even if it means putting their obsession with the performance of negotiations to rest.

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Today is our Black & Gold Rush! The Women’s Center has meant a lot to many alumni and we are lucky to have their support for this season’s fundraising campaign. For this Black and Gold Rush, we were lucky to have time with former (and current) community members. For our 2nd post, we got some stories from Yoo-Jin Kang about her love for sharing knowledge and finding support from our staff and the Women’s Center library!

Name – Yoo-Jin Kang

UMBC Major/ Minor – BA: Modern Languages and Linguistics & BA: Interdisciplinary Studies

Hometown – Ellicott City, MD

Current Job Title/ Employer – Victim Advocate/ Hopeworks of Howard County

How did your time at the UMBC Women’s Center support your current work or career path? Through my work at the Women’s Center, I’ve had incredible opportunities to connect with the UMBC community at large in so many ways. Through leading our TBTN march to organizing identity group roundtables, I have learned with and from the community about the intersections of various identities, oppressions, and experiences. My work at the Center shaped me and allowed me to be the advocate I am today. I am always still learning and growing and have the center (among so many other programs on campus) to thank for the love and knowledge it has placed in my heart.

How would you describe your UMBC experience? You might say that I was pretty involved

Sharon Townes-Wiley, a beloved longtime staff member of UMBC’s dining services, died on Feb. 15, 2018 at the age of 69.

A devoted member of the UMBC community, Townes-Wiley’s radiant face was instantly recognizable to students whenever they frequented the Outtakes in Commons.

“She was always kind to me, and had a great smile. I’m sorry she’s gone,” said junior media and communications major London Davis.

“I’m saddened by the news. She was always very friendly and kind,” said junior global studies and economics double major Keara Vyas.

Townes-Wiley never turned her back on those that needed her, but instead took the time to patiently listen, uplift and give helpful advice.

Her coworkers in Commons remember her as a kind mother figure and friend. Au Bon Pain employees Tiera McMillon and Ashley Cook shared their heartfelt memories of her and offered their condolences along with Wild Greens employees Shawn Taylor and Katrina Smith, and 2mato employee Cherese Owens.

“I’ve known Miss Sharon for six years and for the six years that I’ve known her she’s always been nice to me. She always gave me a hug. I have nothing bad to say about Miss Sharon. She was always a sweetheart to me,” said McMillon.

Cook said, “I’ve known Miss Sharon for ten years. She was like a grandmother to me. I always went to her for advice. She helped me out with a lot of situations. She will truly be missed.”

“Miss Sharon was very kind to everyone. She was like a mother to us and she always helped us out. She always gave us good advice whenever we needed help or were having problems. Everyone wishes she could come back to us, but that’s how life is. It’s going to be hard for us to move on,” said Taylor.

“Miss Sharon, I love you and I’ll always miss you. She was a nice hard working woman and I hope that I can grow to be her age. I want to be just like her. A wonderful woman,” said Smith.

“I just want to say that Miss Sharon was an awesome woman. She’d been working here in UMBC for years. Miss Sharon was a wonderful person. She was very sweet and nice to her coworkers,” said Owens. “She always helped us out whenever we had a problem with an issue. I’m going to miss her very very much.”