PEC’s Annual Meeting

The Lansing Area Peace Education Center will hold its annual meeting and potluck Saturday, May 30. We hope you join us as we gather to review our mission and recent accomplishments and honor notable community members who have been instrumental in working for peace and justice this year.

It will be from 3 pm – 5 pm. in the Copper Chimney Room of the University United Methodist Church, 1120 S. Hagadorn, East Lansing.

Everyone is invited! Please bring a dish to share.

Several local peacemakers will be honored for their contributions to the promotion of peace and justice.

Winners of the Peacemaker of the Year Awards are:

Khadja Erickson will receive the Peacemaker of the Year Award. Director of the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center and Housing Chair of the Lansing NAACP, she is recognized for her leadership in support of Dietrich encampment residents in Lansing, halting the East Lansing camping ban, and performing community outreach efforts to reach unhoused residents during extreme weather conditions with basic needs, essentials, and resources.

Michigan Divest, which was nominated for its Break the Bonds campaign success in divesting Israeli government bonds from the State of Michigan Retirement System in November 2025 and other continuing efforts.

No Detention Centers in Michigan, which was nominated for its work opposing the installation of the North Lake Detention Center managed by GEO Group in Baldwin, Michigan, and organizing prisoner support for those unjustly abducted and imprisoned by ICE/DHS.

Earning the PEC Lifetime Peacemaker award is:

Cheryl van De Kerkhove, who was nominated for her long-term organizing and advocacy for LGBTQ+ and civil rights in Lansing in opposition to racism, sexism and homophobia. She is also recognized for her leadership and activism in countless spaces, including the Crowded Table Coalition, Peace Community Media, and, most recently, as a key organizer for Lansing No Kings.

At the meeting, the PEC also will honor four local high school students, winners of the Tom Schneider Peacemaker Award. The students, who all receive a framed certificate and a cash award, are honored for their efforts to create a peaceful and most just world.

Tom Schneider Peacemaker Awardees

Destini Bell of Bath High School. In her quest for peace and justice, Destini helped establish a World Cultures Club at her school which encouraged global awareness among her fellow students.

Anna Poppema, also from Bath High School. Through Anna’s hard work and her fair, organized leadership in her school’s Week of Giving and Unity in the Community, Anna has had a direct and tangible impact of both her school and her community.

Baw Meh of Lansing Sexton High School. She was nominated for tireless efforts to promote the acceptance and celebration of diversity; for developing and promoting food drives; and for modeling empathy in school and community.

Rachel Jackson of St. Johns High School. She was nominated for her leadership in fostering peace and justice, aspiring to protect human rights and freedoms, and helping those in need through meaningful connections with others within the greater St Johns community.

The PEC encourages everyone to mark their calendar and plan on joining us for an afternoon of fun, fellowship and camaraderie.