Elon University and surrounding community members gathered for the inaugural Harvest Dinner and Peace Talks, establishing a foundation for an annual tradition of connection, reflection and collective action toward peace.
On Oct. 27, thirty people from Elon University and the surrounding community gathered together to reflect on what peace means and to explore how conversation and connection can help us imagine a more peaceful future. This inaugural gathering was intentionally designed to bring together faculty, staff, students, and community members from different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds.
An initiative imagined by Tom Arcaro, professor of sociology, the Harvest Dinner and Peace Talks was designed around the Peace Garden at Lindner Hall, which broke ground and was completed in October 2024. The Peace Garden was designed for the community to gather and reflect on ideals around peace and justice. In spring 2026, Arcaro approached Rev. Kirstin Boswell, university chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement about an event that would celebrate Elon University’s ideals of peace and justice and bring the concepts of reflection to life. A Harvest Dinner and Peace Talks event committee was established, which consisted of Arcaro, Boswell, Chaplain Shane Atkinson, Boaz Avraham-Katz, Sandy Marshall, Jan Register, Kristen Schwartz, Chaplain Peter Tremblay, and Hillary Zaken.
“The idea for the harvest dinner is to amplify and enliven the presence of the Peace Garden. The olive trees will bear fruit, and a symbolic harvest of that fruit leading to a community’s discussion about what peace is, just seems like a logical idea,” said Arcaro. “The idea was collectively workshopped and expanded to what we saw the evening of the dinner. So many minds and hearts went into expanding the vision and making it real.”
The dinner was designed to intentionally create a space for open dialogue around the peace garden and opportunities to create peace. Participants were given three charges: create a vision of a sculpture for the Peace Garden, make a pledge to create peace, and propose who should have a seat at the table next year. Individual tables discussed all three charges then the room came together under the direction of Arcaro, who served as the MC for the evening. A facilitator shared the collective ideas from their table and participants had an opportunity to reflect and respond.
“What struck me about the Harvest Dinner and Peace Talks was the many similarities among the sculpture designs each table envisioned for the Peace Garden. Each group brought its own perspectives, yet there was so much common ground, said Rev. Kirstin Boswell. “For me, that gave the dialogue real meaning: when we sit together, share a meal, listen, and create, we begin to see what connects us. It was a hopeful reminder of what we can build together.”
The evening ended with a closing from Rev. Boswell, thanking Arcaro for his vision and bringing forward the idea of the Harvest Dinner and Peace Talks. Participants were given a token to honor their participation and to remember the evening with hearts made of olive wood or an olive tree sapling, as a gift from Dr. Arcaro.
“My vision for the future is that the discussions continue every year with each cohort attempting to build on what the previous dinner attendees arrived at in terms of their ideas about a sculpture, promises to take an action, and discussing who should be at the table at the next year’s dinner,” said Arcaro. “The main goals are to bring together like-minded people and create solidarity, synergy, and continued dialogue.”
