“A compelling example comes from Sierra Leone in the 1990s, during the war between an armed group, the RUF, and a predatory government. Both sides were committing horrific acts against civilians. Even after a peace agreement was signed, the RUF continued to abuse the local population. In response, elderly women from the church decided to march in protest. They didn’t just protest using their identities as older women and the status that comes with being the grandmothers of society; they drew upon deeply indigenous traditions. When they reached the RUF’s barricades, these women bared their bottoms, an act that, in their culture, was a profound dishonor to the men. This action shamed the men into stopping their abuses, ultimately changing the course and ending the war.”

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini’s journey as a peace strategist is deeply rooted in her experiences growing up in Iran, where, at just 11 years old, she witnessed the Iranian Revolution and the upheaval it brought to her family and community. These early experiences of conflict and displacement propelled her to dedicate her life to peacebuilding, advocating for frameworks to prevent similar suffering.

"In my twenties, I realized how painful it is when your own country splits apart or experiences turmoil. This pain is multi-generational; even 40 years later, it still affects us all, including generations that weren’t even born at the time. I was driven by the desire to prevent others from experiencing this kind of trauma. I kept asking myself, how can I stop others from going through what we went through?”

“We are committed to unlocking the possibilities that exist beyond the story that difficult conversations of conflict, difference, or injustice must be avoided out of fear, won out of righteousness, or bulldozed with aggression. We want to co-create a countercultural movement of people relating to difference, reframing conflict, and practicing bridging and belonging in ways that both ground in and build toward our vision of justice and liberation.”

“Words can lure groups and communities into dangerous and destructive ideologies, turning them into ardent supporters of disastrous deeds and policies. However, language can also serve as a bridge that unites people and fosters healing on a collective level.”

“‘I’ wrote this essay with an eye of Black geographies, haunted outdoors, the hidden public that subsidizes the obvious. From within that space, there is - in my opinion - a groundswell of impulses and movements gesturing towards the more-than-just. Gesturing towards 'breaks' of some kind. This essay is an attempt to trace those wandering yearnings for another sun.”

“While facilitated direct in-person experiences are best, intergroup contact can be achieved indirectly through storytelling & education. That’s where Gorm Media comes in. We are a platform on a mission of unity across lines of difference and we share stories, educate and create engaging content of people from diverse communities and conversations of people bridging on social issues.”

“Nonviolence is usually studied as a philosophy or moral code, rather than as a method of political conflict, disruption, and escalation. I realized how important it was to correct this gap. Drawing from discussions with activists working to defend human rights, challenging corporate corruption, or combating authoritarianism, it was evident that people with few resources and little influence in conventional politics can nevertheless engineer momentous upheavals.”