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Welcome to the February issue of the Mesites Foundation Newsletter In this Issue
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February: Apotheosis For many people, February marks the one-month anniversary of their New Year’s resolutions. At this juncture, most of us have broken our holiday-inspired resolves, and it’s interesting to explore why. A personal theory is that most resolutions, though borne from the season of goodwill to all, are grounded in isolation and personal shortcomings; that is, we resolve, in the privacy of our hearts, because we feel that there is something in ourselves that needs to be fixed. I will work harder. I will exercise more often. The harder we work at our “resolves” the more we acknowledge our own limitations – and the greater the likelihood that our resolutions will be broken by February. What if we took a different approach to making resolutions? In music, apotheosis refers to notes of such high melodic value that their sound demands to be resolved. The musician completes the melodic line because each individual note is important to the sound of the piece, and the collective notes are integral to the body of the composition. As human beings, we are responsible to ourselves, as well as to the human collective; therefore, we should demand completion within ourselves. If we made resolutions with the understanding that our own value is intrinsic to the human race, then acting on our pledges would allow us to experience an awareness of self-worth and inter-connectedness; for through reaching out to others, we complete or resolve ourselves. If January was the month for resolutions, then I propose February as the month for apotheosis. We all have ways in which we can engage with the world; as a suggestion, consider the following by Ken Cloke: “Ten Ways to Help Mediators without Borders” 1. Become an expert in one region and communicate your new passion for it to everyone you know. 2. Engage in charitable acts by providing necessary services in conflict-ridden areas or providing funds to support those services. 3. Err in the direction of compassion, for yourself and for everyone else. 4. Find some part of your "enemies" inside of you. 5. Find some part of yourself inside your "enemies." 6. Practice forgiveness. Begin with yourself. 7. Listen to at least one person a month who has views that are diametrically opposed to your own. Respond only by asking clarifying questions. Thank that person for sharing with you. 8. At least once a month, engage in at least one act of creative self-expression for no purpose other than your own joy. 9. Treat the person who is causing you the most grief as your Zen master. You have something very important to learn from him/her. 10. Play. Retrieve your crayons, construction paper, finger paints, and paste. Lay down on the grass, twirling a dandelion in your fingers. Ride a bike. Grab a skateboard. Listen to children talk among them. Laugh. Spotlight on: Anjali Soi, J.D. 
Spotlight on: Anjali Soi, J.D. The dimly lit room is filled with music—the steady drum of the mridangam, the violin’s rising and falling wail, the crash of cymbals, like ocean waves against a wall of rock. A group of women dance, wearing silk costumes the color of flame, gold bangles around their wrists, and flowers in their hair. They bend their knees and arc their arms above their heads, leaning back, lost inside the slow motion of their bodies. This dance, Bharatanatyam, is one of the oldest traditional forms of dance, originating in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. In Bharatanatyam, the movements of the human body are said to be a manifestation of the eternal universe. Though the women are dancing in a small studio in a Pittsburgh suburb, they could almost be in India, a thousand years ago. One of the women in this room, Anjali Soi, has been dancing “since I’ve been walking,” she claims. She was drawn to Bharatanatyam many years ago, in part because of the connection it provides to her own Indian heritage. Though she grew up in the town of Murraysville, just outside of Pittsburgh, Soi has always been fascinated with understanding different cultures and learning how to bring disparate groups together. “In India,” she says, “going to another state is like going to another country—they each have their own language, their own dialect, their own diet, and their own geography.” Her understanding of the widespread cultural variations throughout the world lends a unique perspective to her work at both Mesites Foundation and Mediators without Borders (MWB). Soi recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where a mediation class taught by Robert Creo, the co-founder of Mesites Foundation, inspired the choice of her new career. Though she’s always been passionate about civil rights, Soi became engaged with mediation because she saw the potential it has to unify so many social and cultural groups, helping each side to understand the other. “I went into law because I wanted to learn to see the different sides of everything,” says Soi. “Mediation is about seeing all the different colors, and embracing the diversity of the world—it’s like music.” Soi believes deeply in the missions of both Mesites Foundation and MWB. “Mesites is about empowering women to understand and resolve conflict,” she says, “and Mediators is about stepping into other cultures and ways of thinking, helping to solve conflicts between countries.” Working with Mesites and MWB, Soi uses her own creativity to help breathe life into the two newly formed organizations. “We’re like babies now,” she says of the two groups. She’s looking forward to watching them both grow up. Lynn Cole Lecture: January 25th, 2007 
Lynn Cole (second from left) poses for a photo with a group of people from Mesites Foundation, Mediators Without Borders, and Chatham College, following her successful lecture on International Alternative Dispute Resolution on January 25th. Courtesy Barbora Batokova/Communique ADR In Practice: Diverse Choices/Diverse Perspectives “ADR In Practice: Diverse Choices/Diverse Perspectives” Close your eyes and imagine a lawyer. What sort of picture appears in your mind? Is it a balding white man in his fifties, with a leather briefcase and a thousand-dollar suit? Shut your eyes a little tighter, and see what else comes into focus—do you see a Latina woman standing before a crowd of new immigrants, explaining, in Spanish, their rights in this new and unfamiliar country? Or a young woman from New Jersey, voicing the complaints of the 600,000 active members of the Steelworkers Union in their struggle to obtain job security, health insurance coverage, and other benefits? Women like these two—Marilin Martinez-Walker and Amanda Green—and their fellow panelists, Chaton Turner, and Audrey Kwak, belong to a new wave of attorneys, who are able “to look beyond the basic actions giving rise to the lawsuit, to the motives behind the actions,” says Kwak. These extraordinary women of color, armed with law degrees and a strong dose of courage, work in diverse practice areas, ranging from construction law to medical malpractice. Even so, they share a common bond—they are each dedicated to resolving conflicts between cultures and communities not only in the courtroom, but in neighborhoods, schools, and even family homes. Mediation, one type of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is a growing practice area in the legal field. In mediation, legal battles are not settled through long, embattled trials, but through an older, simpler method, in which both parties simply talk about their problems. Often, there is no need for further action, and the parties settle their dispute immediately; Ms. Green recounts an experience mediating a dispute in which a man was suing a former friend over nine dollars’ worth of Girl Scout Cookies. Immediately, Green realized that “he wasn’t there about the cookies or the other stuff. His former friend had stopped talking to him for some reason that was no longer important when we resolved the mediation with a handshake and an agreement that his friend would pay him what he owed.” If the two parties had proceeded with a trial, the allegations against each other could have ended the friendship forever—instead, through mediation, the dispute was soon forgotten. Mediation is one of society’s most important tools—it is a way to bring peace to those in conflict. Used wisely, it can bring ethnic groups together, resolve long-standing grievances, and even end wars. At 4:30 p.m., February 22nd, in the Eddy Theatre at Chatham College, Martinez-Walker, Green, and Turner will share their views and experiences as women of color in the field of alternative dispute resolution, serving as panelists on the topic, “ADR in Practice: Diverse Choices/Diverse Perspectives.” This is a free event; refreshments will be served at the following reception. About the Speakers: Amanda Green provides representation for the United Steelworkers Union in Pittsburgh, where she is “not only a lawyer, but an advisor, counselor, teacher, student, political activist, investigator and ambassador.” She has served as a mediator for various cases, both in Pittsburgh and in her home state, New Jersey, and provides pro bono legal counsel to abused women through Pittsburgh’s Neighborhood Legal Services. In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding. “The horses I’ve encountered have been very gentle and extremely easy to guide because I go with the ‘no experience necessary’ crowd,” says Green. “Imagine if mediation was that easy!” Audrey Kwak is the only female in the construction litigation practice group at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, a major law firm in Pittsburgh. She became interested in law because of an undergraduate psychology course in which she was required to interview patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, where, Kwak says, “I saw on a daily basis the frustration—mixed with sadness and love—that the caregivers inevitably displayed, whether they were children or spouses of the patient. I knew that I could do little as a student and later as a researcher to advocate for the change I perceived was necessary, and sought out law as a means of effecting the policy change that ultimately works practical changes.” Marilin Martinez-Walker worked as a television reporter and producer for a news station in Syracuse, New York before earning her law degree. She now works in the field of complex civil litigation at the Pittsburgh law firm, Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP. As one of the few Latinas in the firm, she says, “I bring different ideas to the table because of my heritage and the way I was raised. Latinos are the largest minority population in this country right now. I believe being a Latina lawyer will help me in the future with business development and with helping clients in their legal needs.” Martinez-Walker also works with the New Hispanic Attorney's Committee, where she provides workshops in Spanish to the Latino community, and helps to mentor young Latino law students. Chatón Turner provides legal representation and assists in medical malpractice cases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she is also involved with Intermediation, a mediation practice within the hospital system that “gives answers to the patients,” she says. Although Turner is one of only a few African-American lawyers at her practice, she welcomes the challenge to make her voice heard within the system. Because health care “touches all people,” says Turner, “the health care system needs diverse representations.” Besides her legal work, Turner has many interests, including singing, voice-over acting, and writing children’s books. Book Recommendation: Robert A. Creo, Esq.: Alternative Dispute Resolution Book Recommendation: Robert A. Creo, Esq.: Alternative Dispute Resolution - Law, Procedure and Commentary for the Pennsylvania Practitioner Robert A. Creo, Esq., mediation professional and a founding member of Mediators without Borders launched his new alternative dispute resolution (ADR) book at an open house hosted by the law firm of Post & Schell in Philadelphia. Mr. Creo’s two-volume, loose-leaf referenced treatise on alternative dispute resolution is a comprehensive theoretical and practical guide for practitioners in ADR. To place an order, visit the publisher’s website at: www.bisel.com or call 1-800-247-3526. All royalties from the sale of this book are being donated to Mediators without Borders. Reminder: Internships Available with Mediators without Borders Reminder: Internships Available with Mediators without Borders Mediators without Borders (MWB) is pleased to announce its Internship Program. Interns will gain practical work experience in areas such as country research, development, and communications, as well as a basic introduction to the field of conflict resolution. All internships will take place in our Pittsburgh office. Application Instructions: Please submit resume with cover letter to: Mediators without Borders/Attn: Internship Program Alternatively, you may send your letter and resume by e-mail as a Word document attachment. Please indicate “Internship” and the term in which you are applying in the subject line of your e-mail to: rmccarthymwb@cs.com Reminder: Call for submissions: Journal of Conflict Transformation Reminder: Call for submissions: Journal of Conflict Transformation The Journal of Conflict Transformation is an online periodical created to encourage writing in the area of conflict resolution and conflict transformation. The Journal encourages submissions from academics, practitioners, and students in these areas. The Journal is published twice yearly, in July and in February. The first issue, scheduled for release in July 2007, will focus on perspectives of women in mediation. We invite submissions of articles relating to issues or challenges faced in mediation or conflict transformation from women who are working or studying in the field of alternative dispute resolution,. The guidelines for submissions are as follows: • Articles should be between 1,200 and 5,000 words • Articles must be written using Times New Roman 12-point font • All citations should follow MLA guidelines, legal citations should follow the Blue Book • Submissions must be received electronically as Word documents to: asoi@mesites.org • Deadline for submissions for the first issue is April 30, 2007.
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