Board member Gann Herman brings a rich legacy of activist organizing to Peace Hill, embodying a dual commitment to action and contemplation. She has served in an advisory role since early conversations about Peace Hill’s partnership with the Avila Center for Community Leadership.
Gann explained that she considers herself among members who are situated “in the trenches,” and finds her involvement with Peace Hill helpful in maintaining an emphasis on spiritual and restorative practices throughout her activist work.
“I’m much more of an organizer and activist than a ‘sit down and think about things’ person, but the emphasis of Peace Hill on the essential unity of work for justice and spiritual practices is something that I try to practice in my life,” she said. “That’s really why I joined Peace Hill in the first place, because I could see the need for that balance in my life. It continues to be something that pulls me back from getting too busy and out of balance with too many efforts – all of which are good efforts – to make the world a place that’s safe for everybody.”
She first became involved with the Peace Hill community through attending morning meditations at Dot Borden’s farmhouse. “That’s how I got to know Mel [Williams] and Terry [Allebaugh] much better,” she explained. Through this involvement, she learned about the value of contemplation in movement work.
Gann traces the beginnings of her activism to her graduate studies, during which she learned about the injustices her South African colleagues faced, further fueling her desire to fight racial inequality.
“It was the South Africans’ determination–their commitment–that really awakened me to the whole question of racial inequality,” she said.
Through her years of teaching in Southern Africa, she liaised with ecumenical anti-apartheid groups, attended protests, and “learned first-hand what it meant to put yourself on the line for the sake of people who were attacked and harmed, that wasn’t about you personally.” Adopting a baby in Swaziland further solidified antiracism as the focus of her organizing work.
“We came back to the U.S., and it was clear to us we were a family of color; we needed to be looking at the world through his eyes,” she said. “There have been changes in what I’ve focused my work on, but since I moved to Durham in 1990, [racial equality work] has been a huge part of my life.”
Gann has worked with the Poor People’s Campaign, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Fed Up, Democracy Out Loud, and the National Union of the Homeless. Through this involvement, she supports people who have the courage to fight for their rights despite being continually devalued and dehumanized.
“It’s long, slow, relational work, which I love doing,” she said. She explained that her breadth of experience working with other cultures has allowed her to view relationships as something more than transactional, as well as granting her a broader understanding of spirituality.
Gann emphasized the value of Peace Hill in movement spaces, helping organizers integrate contemplation, reflection, and restorative practices into their day-to-day organizing life, as well as its personal value to her as a member of the board.
“I’ve stayed on [the Peace Hill Board] because I’ve continued to grow as a person, interacting with other members of the board and building friendships with people I wouldn’t otherwise meet and who have done really deep work around spiritual practices, as well as other people in the trenches,” she said. “I’m really grateful to be on the board, because I’ve learned a lot from that group of people and the work we’re trying to shape together.”