Colman McCarthy
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Colman McCarthy (born March 24, 1938 in
Glen Head, New York Glen Head is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the greater Glen Cove area, which is anchored ...
), is an American
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
, teacher, lecturer,
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
, progressive,
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
, and long-time
peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...
, directs the ''Center for Teaching Peace'' in Washington, D.C. From 1969 to 1997, he wrote columns for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. His topics ranged from politics, religion, health, and sports to education, poverty, and peacemaking. '' Washingtonian'' magazine called him "the liberal conscience of ''The Washington Post''." '' Smithsonian'' magazine said he is "a man of profound spiritual awareness." He has written for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'', ''
The Progressive ''The Progressive'' is a left-leaning American magazine and website covering politics and culture. Founded in 1909 by U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and co-edited with his wife Belle Case La Follette, it was originally called ''La Follett ...
'', ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
''. Since 1999, he has written biweekly columns for ''
National Catholic Reporter The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a progressive national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt want ...
''.


Peacework

Since 1982, he has been teaching courses on
nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...
and the literature of peace. In the fall semester of 2006, he taught at seven schools:
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
,
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
,
The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...
, the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

The Washington Center for Internships
Wilson High School,
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is named for two of the towns it serves; it also serves Kensington and Silver Spring. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda. In May ...
and School Without Walls. In 25 years, he has had more than 7,000 students in his classes. In 1985, he founded the Center for Teaching Peace, a nonprofit that helps schools begin or expand academic programs in
Peace studies Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
. He is a regular speaker at U.S. colleges, prep schools, high schools, and peace conferences, and gives an average of 50 lectures a year. The titles of his lectures range from "How To Be a Peacemaker" to "Nonviolence In a Time of War." Including lectures and interviews, McCarthy has had more than 30 appearances on C-SPAN. For his courses on nonviolence and the literature of peace, McCarthy's course texts include "Solutions To Violence" and "Strength Through Peace: the Ideas and People of Nonviolence." Both books are
anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...
of peace essays edited by McCarthy and published by the Center for Teaching Peace. The purpose of the courses is to expose students to the philosophy of pacifism and the methods of nonviolent conflict resolution. His former students include Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), one of the most liberal members of Congress; Mark Gearan, former president of
Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from 45 maj ...
and also a former director of the Peace Corps; John McCarthy, director and founder of Elementary Baseball;
Anthony Shriver Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver (born July 20, 1965) is an American activist for people with intellectual disabilities. In 1989, he founded Best Buddies International, an international organization that helps people with intellectual disabilities t ...
, director and founder of
Best Buddies International Best Buddies International is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It consists of volunteers that create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The program's main purpose is to allow volunteers ...
;
Andy Shallal Anas "Andy" Shallal ( ar, أنس شلال) (born March 21, 1955) is an Iraqi-American artist, activist, philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and CEO of the Washington, D.C., area, restaurant, bookstore, and performan ...
, founder and owner of Busboys and Poets restaurant-bookstores in DC. The advisory board of the Center for Teaching Peace includes Robert Coles,
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
,
Arun Gandhi Arun Manilal Gandhi (born April 14, 1934) is an Indian-American author, socio-political activist and son of Manilal Gandhi, thus a grandson of nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. Although he has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather as an ac ...
,
Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance ...
, Sen. Ron Wyden,
Marian Wright Edelman Marian Wright Edelman (born June 6, 1939) is an American activist for civil rights and children's rights. She is the founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Hillary ...
, Jack Olender, Sydney Wolfe and
Ronald Dellums Ronald Vernie Dellums (November 24, 1935 – July 30, 2018) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011. He had previously served thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Californi ...
. McCarthy's educational philosophy has attracted some controversy in the past, with two Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School students calling in 2006 for a more balanced presentation of the issues covered by the class. McCarthy's classes are discussion-based and well known for lively debates and challenges that McCarthy issues to his students. On many Friday mornings since 1991, he and his Peace Studies students at Bethesda-Chevy High School have taken to the highway fronting the campus to protest the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Students wield signs, from “Bring 'Em Home” to “Honk for Peace.” An avid
teetotaler Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or i ...
, McCarthy often challenges his students to stop drinking alcohol for the semester and document their experiences and observations of those around them. He also lectures at many universities and institutes. In October 2009, McCarthy lectured ''The Politics of Peace'' at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. Over the years, hundreds of guest speakers have spoken in his classes. They have included Nobel Peace Prize winners ( Adolfo Pérez Esquivel,
Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance ...
and
Mairead Maguire Mairead MaguireFairmichael, p. 28: "Mairead Corrigan, now Mairead Maguire, married her former brother-in-law, Jackie Maguire, and they have two children of their own as well as three by Jackie's previous marriage to Ann Maguire." (born 27 Januar ...
), Peace Corps volunteers, Sufi mystics, Army psychiatrists, members of Congress, school custodial workers, former
death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...
inmates, murder victims' families, social workers, corporate executives,
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s,
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s,
Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
athletes,
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
athletes, former
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
s, parents, homeless individuals,
folk singers Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...
, presidential candidates, and activists for human rights, civil rights, gay and
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
rights, victims' rights, prisoners' rights, Native Americans' rights, and animal rights. In 2009, McCarthy wrote an article in ''The Washington Post'' about the life of
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, a peace activist, who undertook a 27-year antinuclear vigil in front of the White House.


See also

*
List of peace activists This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usually work ...


Awards

As a pacifist, journalist, and ethical vegetarian, he was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in Sherborn, Massachusetts for his nationally syndicated column in ''The Washington Post''. McCarthy also won an
Alicia Patterson Foundation The Alicia Patterson Foundation (APF) program was established in 1965 in memory of Alicia Patterson Alicia Patterson (October 15, 1906 – July 2, 1963) was an American journalist, the founder and editor of ''Newsday''. With Neysa McMein, she cre ...
fellowship for journalism in 1998 to research and write about mentoring, tutoring, and literacy at Garrison elementary school in Washington, D.C. In 2010 he was awarded the
El-Hibri Peace Education Prize Fuad El-Hibri (March 2, 1958 – April 23, 2022) was a German-American businessman and philanthropist, and founder of Emergent BioSolutions. Biography Early life Fuad El-Hibri was born in Hildesheim, Germany. He spent his childhood equally in ...
. He also won the * Olender Peacemaker Awar
The Jack and Lovell Olender Foundation
(1996) * Pax Christi Peace Teacher Awar
Teachers of Peace
(1993)\


Works by Colman McCarthy

* ''Disturbers of the Peace: Profiles in Non Adjustment'' * ''Inner Companions'' * ''Pleasures of the Game'' * ''Involvements: One Journalist's Place in the World'' * ''All of One Peace'' * ''I'd Rather Teach Peace'' * ''Strength Through Peace'' (editor) * ''Solutions to Violence'' (editor) * ''At Rest With the Animals'' * ''My America'' (contributor) * ''Contemporary Anarchist Studies'' (contributor) * ''In the Name of Profit'' (contributor) * ''Peace Is Possible'' (contributor)


Film

Colman McCarthy's son, John, has made a full-length documentary titled ''Bandit'' about his father's practice of peaceful anarchy. The film contains a wide variety of interviews Colman did that centered on his views on
pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
and
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
. Notable examples are his discussion of
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
and a debate with Pat Buchanan. It premiered at the Avalon Theatre in Washington, D.C.


Articles about Colman McCarthy

* ''The New York Times'' Nov. 17, 1986
Washington talk; A Skirmish Involving a Pacifist
* ''The Washington Post'' Jan. 13, 1985 * ''The Washington Post'' Jan. 12, 1997 * ''The Washington Post'' Feb. 26, 2006 * ''The Wall Street Journal'' Feb. 25, 1998 * ''Los Angeles Times'' Feb. 14, 1994 * ''USA Today'' Oct. 16, 2001 * Minneapolis ''Star Tribune'' Feb. 9, 1990 * Minneapolis ''Star Tribune'' Oct. 4, 1998 * ''San Diego Tribune'' March 12, 1988 * ''The Hartford Courant'' Oct. 3, 1990 * Greensboro ''News & Record'' Jan. 21, 1999 * Rochester ''Democrat and Chronicle'' Nov. 22, 2002 * ''The Progressive'' Nov. 1986 * ''The Progressive'' Jan. 1991 * ''Teacher'' Oct. 2003 * ''Vegetarian Times'' July 1989 * ''Washingtonian'' Feb. 2002 * ''Editor & Publisher'' Feb. 8, 1997 * ''Hope Magazine'' July/August 2003 *''CBS Sunday Morning'' November 29, 2020


References


External links

*
Teaching Nonviolence: McCarthy is interviewed on Humankind public radio
*
''Booknotes'' interview with McCarthy on ''All of One Peace: Essays on Nonviolence'', July 31, 1994.

C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with McCarthy, June 1, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Colman 1938 births Living people American anti-war activists American columnists American pacifists American University faculty and staff Anarchist writers Anarcho-pacifists American anti-poverty advocates Georgetown University Law Center faculty Journalists from Alabama People from Glen Head, New York Spring Hill College alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni American anarchists