Q: How do you describe the role of a Peace Warrior?
A: It’s our job to break the tension of a fight. We interject love and kindness, and we interrupt nonsense.
Q: Why is nonviolence crucial?
A: My mom told me if somebody hits me, hit them back. It’s easier to be violent. But it takes a more courageous person to walk away or resolve the conflict without violence. When I became willing to have my mind-set changed, it opened up everything.
Q: How do you break up fights?
A: We each do different things, like singing or banging on a desk to distract everybody. After, we have a peace circle, where both of the people in the fight get to hear the other person’s side of the story.
Q: How has being a Peace Warrior affected you?
A: I didn’t learn to value myself at a young age, and I also had suicidal thoughts. Peace Warriors has a sense of family. It changed my life.
(This interview was edited and condensed for length and clarity.)