Padre Jesus Alberto Franco is a Colombian missionary priest, as well as the executive secretary of the Colombian human rights NGO Inter-church Commission for Justice and Peace. 

Franco will speak on the UW-Superior campus on Wednesday, November 3.  His presentations are titled "The Seeds of Peace:  We Reap What We Sow! Understanding the impact of U.S. foreign aid and corporate practices in Colombia."  His presentations are open and free to the public.  Below is his  schedule:

*  9 - 10 a.m. in Introduction to Politics class in Marcovich Wellness Center, Room 2440.

*  11 a.m. - Noon in Macroeconomics class in Erlanson Room 102

*  2 - 3 p.m. in Beginning Spanish class in Main 232.

*  3 - 4 p.m. in Interpersonal Violence class in Main 232.

Franco has spent the past three years in his current role accompanying the resistance processes of Afro-Colombian, Indigenous and mixed race farmers, overseeing the operations of the commission, and coordinating and overseeing the work of the teams that accompany the processes of the community.  He has been part of the commission for over 21 years and helped to support the NGO's founders in the creation of the commission.  He was born and raised in Aranzazu, Caldas in Colombia.  His work as a missionary brings him all over Colombia. 

The Inter-church Justice and Peace Commission, founded in 1988, is a leading NGO for community organizing and human rights in Colombia. It provides accompaniment to Afro-Colombian, Indigenous, and mixed race communities who have been victimized and affirms their rights without the use of violence in zones of armed conflict.  It supports concrete processes that seek truth, justice, and reparation, and favors political negotiations that seek to end the internal armed conflict.  It has an inter-discipline approach focused on the psycho-social, judicial, environmental, and theological preservation of memory and gender aspects of the community processes, to help communities rebuild their social fabric.

This day of presentations are co-hosted by UW-Superior's Office of International Programs, World Student Association, Amnesty International student organization, Inkblots (Psychology student organization), Office of Multicultural Affairs, and also Witness for Peace community organization.  Thank you to professors Haji Dokhanchi, Hal Bertilson, Tim Crow and Andres Marroquin Gramajo for allowing Padre Franco in your classrooms. 

If you have any questions about Padre Franco or his presentations please contact Judy Dwyer at 715-394-8436 or jdwyer@uwsuper.edu.