Our February speaker will be Dr. Jess Bonnan-White who will present ‘Rules of War in Today’s World.’
Stepping in is Dr. Jess Bonnan-White, Professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton University, and affiliated member of the M.A. Program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She is an expert in emergency management, homeland security, global humanitarian work, conflict transformation and the challenges of post-conflict social development. As a published scholar, she focuses her research on the practice of policing during and after prolonged periods of social conflict, civil unrest, and mass violence.
In addition to her work in security studies at Stockton University, Dr. Bonnan-White is an 11-year volunteer with the NJ Region of the American Red Cross. In this role, she educates the public about the international services the Global Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement provides to people impacted by disaster, conflict, forced migration and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), or the “rules of war.” For five years, she served as the regional lead for the IHL instruction program in the New Jersey Region, and now teaches as an Expert-level instructor. Dr. Bonnan-White is also staff member at the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education where she is part of a team providing experiential learning exercises for students and career professionals in humanitarian work, peacebuilding, emergency management, criminal justice, social work, healthcare, and international development.
In this presentation, Dr. Bonnan-White will, in her role as an IHL instructor, speak to the development of IHL and why volunteers like her teach, “even war has rules.” Since its founding in 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross – and now all the organizations involved in the Global Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement – are involved in developing the public’s understanding of IHL and the challenges of protecting both combatants and civilians during armed conflict. Her talk will cover the historical development of IHL from its roots on 19th century battlefields, its four basic components, and how protection under the Geneva Conventions and other international treaties is applied. Dr. Bonnan-White will also trace the development of IHL through major events in the 20th century, and the contributions of different organizations to humanitarian work and protection of populations around the world.
Most recently, Dr. Bonnan-White has been working on two inter-related research projects related to policing. Firstly, she has been conducting ethnographic research in Northern Ireland to explore police officers’ experiences during the 30-year period of violence known as the “Troubles” (1968-1998), as well as the 25 years since 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. Secondly, she has been part of a collaborative research team documenting experiences of police officers working during and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in 2020, and understanding the impact of multiple, intersecting social crises on the practice of policing. She has also been involved in several police training initiatives for officers from policing agencies throughout Central and South Jersey.
The Historical Society of Hammonton Museum preserves the rich social, political economic and multi-cultural heritage of our town and its people. Our mission is to increase awareness of Hammonton’s history, and to establish public access to that history by collecting, conserving, interpreting and promoting it to the widest possible audience. Our historic 188s (former Town Hall/Library/Kindergarten) Museum, a treasure itself, is located behind Hammonton Veterans Memorial park in Leo Club Park at Veterans Memorial Park open to the public Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon and every Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. New volunteers always welcome! Join the fun and learn about our great town!
If you can’t attend the presentation, come in and play back recordings of this and dozens of other past presentations. Monthly meetings and presentations will continue the first Thursday of each month.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of Cultural Affairs within the Department of State, through funds administered by the Atlantic County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.
