At approximately 1:30 in the afternoon at Illinois College, President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Khalaf Al Habtoor joined Paul Findley on the stage in Bruner Center on October 14. During the seventeenth annual Phi Alpha Literary Society Lecture, the speakers spoke of the Pathways to Peace initiative. Forty eight Jacksonville High School students along with teachers Heather Gerrish and Ryan VanAken and assistant principal Tim Chipman attended the once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Overall, the attendance for the event spiked maximum capacity of the building with about two to three thousand attendants.
The Pathways to Peace initiative hopes to bring peace in the Middle East. Since biblical times, Israel and Palestine have been in conflict over land. Carter and Al Habtoor hope that this conflict can be dissolved. Both agree that the only solution will be to create a separate state for the Palestinians. Paul Findley stated that the power for this change is in Obama’s hands, and he is the hope we have of solving the ever-growing issue.
After being introduced by Al Habtoor, Carter stepped to the podium, what every person in the room was awaiting. The entire crowd stood and clapped for the President. Carter spoke of his work with human rights, especially in third world countries and rights for women and girls. He also addressed his past work to bring peace to countries such as the conflict between Egypt and Israel.
As the lecture progressed, the speakers changed to a panel format. The three were asked questions and were given three minutes to answer. After the questions, President Carter was presented with a gift of honor. He was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. The crowd roared as he received the honor.
After hearing from students, teachers, and other viewers of the event, the response lingered to be the same. Everyone was still in awe of the moment. Most stated that they thought that the speeches were very intriguing and that they learned more about the conflicts in the Middle East that they had known before.
The mood in the Bruner Center was tense. Everyone reached to grasp what the speakers had to share. As a participant in this once-in-a lifetime event, I was in shock. Both President Carter and Dr. Al Habtoor brought excellent points to the podium. It is shocking to know that Carter may have actually stepped out of the White House, but his work for this country and others did not stop when his term ended. It still continues to this very day.