Day 38 - Katie Brubacher

To my son,

I asked you this morning what peace meant to you. You told me that peace means that everyone feels safe. As I reflect on this idea, I wonder about this notion of safety and peace and how we attain it. Safety and the word peace have often been adopted as reasons for war with violence seen as a necessary step towards everyone feeling safe. Our own police at the University of Alberta have adopted the name Peace Officers but our Palestinian students and allies whose protests were broken up May 11th, 2024 might disagree with that label of peace. Framing the encampment and protest as safe or unsafe became a determining factor in whether violence could be used to remove it and silence this protest. In this way, the illusion of peace and safety were the reasons for instigating violent action against the protestors.

For me peace is an important ideal. Something to preserve as we continue to work in dialogue through conflict and differences. Coming from a Mennonite community, peace and even pacifism were important ideals that I was brought up to hold in high regard. My own grandfather was a conscientious objector during World War II. If you google my name, Katie Brubacher, you will find a play called Quiet in the Land, where the lead female character shares the same name as me. This character is a Mennonite and pacifist who struggles with her family and community's ideals when a romantic interest decides to go to war and fight for his country. Questioning war as a solution to conflict and disagreement is an important aspect of how I view peace - not as an instigator for more violence but as a call to continue to work through difficult communication with our perceived enemies. 
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Your own name, Isaac Brubacher, is a combination of my last name and your great grandfather’s. I did some research before I officially named you to determine if anyone else had your name in the past. Your name was listed along with your great grandfather’s Roy Snyder, as a conscientious objector during World War II. This made me feel proud of the name I had chosen for you, as it connected to your familial heritage through blood lines but also through pacifist action. I also remember your grandfather telling me about a speech he had given at his church where he reflected on wisdom. In his years as a young man, he had travelled to India for his work in the cattle industry. He connected with one of Gandhi’s disciples. This man left a deep impression of my grandfather because despite his enormous wealth, the man chose to sleep on the ground in a small hut and impart wisdom to his followers. In our modern world, I hope you can find the strength and courage to act as your ancestors in finding alternative approaches to conflict in even the most difficult times. 

Love, 

Your mother
(Katie Brubacher, Edmonton, Alberta)