Announcing the "Shansi Forward" Campaign!
We are excited to announce the "Shansi Forward" Campaign. This is an opportunity for friends of Oberlin Shansi to learn more about our new programming and to support our continued mission of deepening mutual respect and understanding between Asia and the United States.
Annelise Giseburt OC '16, our inaugural Fellow to Hiroshima from 2016-2018, has graciously offered to kick off this Campaign. Annelise writes:
"Dear Shansi friends,
There are many unforgettable highlights from my time as the first Shansi Hiroshima Fellow, from high-fiving literally hundreds of ecstatic Hiroshima Carp fans when the local baseball team won the league championship to hearing a waiter say “Congratulations on winning the Nobel Peace Prize!” as he brought out a dessert plate bearing the same inscription in chocolate (my colleagues and I were at dinner with a member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) steering committee).
Some moments in Hiroshima were less jubilant but all the more meaningful. I translated A-bomb survivor testimonies, taking in their memories word by word, then actually stood in the places where they had watched victims drown in a river or checked mortally wounded students to see if a family member was among them. And through studying disarmament history and speaking with ICAN members, I came to see nuclear weapons as yet another system of power that not only should but can be changed.
I wouldn’t have had these life-changing experiences without Shansi, and I am excited to share that Hiroshima
is just one of Shansi’s new Fellowship programs. There is a dynamic new Fellowship in Tamil Nadu, India, with the Keystone Foundation, Shansi’s newest partner, and the Independent Fellowship, which enables Oberlin students to create their own two-year Shansi experience.
But Shansi can’t maintain these wonderful programs without your support, so I am pleased to help launch the “Shansi Forward” campaign this November to ensure they can continue. Over the next three weeks you will also hear from Shansi Visiting Scholars and others about the impact of these programs.
I am especially happy to announce that this year, Shansi Trustee Kim Golden will match every gift for the Hiroshima Fellowship dollar for dollar up to $10,000. Please follow this link to contribute to Shansi as part of this campaign, and write “Hiroshima” in the note field to ensure your gift is matched. If we meet Kim’s challenge, we can fund the entire Hiroshima Fellowship next year!
I still live and work in Japan, jokingly — but proudly — calling myself a Hiroshima local. With your support, many more Shansi Fellows will be able to have unforgettable experiences in this wonderful city and across Asia.
Thank you,
Annelise GiseburtShansi Fellow, Hiroshima, 2016-2018
P.S. - Don’t forget to check out the Shansi Instagram @oberlinshansi for pictures and stories from Fellows in the field, including the current Hiroshima Fellow Jenny Luan! She and I will be in charge of the Instagram for the next week."
