Comments on: Ja A. Jahannes: Happy 50th Birthday, Peace Corps!

By: Aisha Bowden

Aisha Bowden — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:54:48 +0000

I never knew that the Peace Corps drew its inspiration from Crossroads Africa! Thank you, Dr. Ja, for yet another thought provoking history lesson! I am also proud to say that I have several younger friends that have completed Peace Corps in recent years, so the interest is alive and well amongst mission-minded grads of HBCU’s.

By: Michael Terry

Michael Terry — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:52:51 +0000

Such a great article! Thank you sir…So many people have forgotten or not even aware that this great organization “Peace Corps” still exist. I remember when I was in school, the representatives for this organization would come and speak to the kids and make us aware of the need for all to get involved and support…Being a musician, I had the great pleasure of writing and recording a song for a commercial about the Peace Corps! Congratulations on 50 yrs. and thanks Dr. J. for a fine article…

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:14:22 +0000

The article is very informative and it has given me a lesson on the history of the Peace Corp. It is good to know that there are people and organizations who still truly care about helping others.

By: Alisa Drayton

Alisa Drayton — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:12:46 +0000

Dr. Ja,

Thank you for this article. I have a good friend and soror that is the Director of Recruitment at Peace Corp. I will be sure to share this tribute with her. I'd love to see Lincoln reclaim its status as a training site. A 2008 Lincoln alumna is currently volunteering in Namibia. She's been there since February 2011. Her assignment expires in 2013.

By: Michael Culbreth

Michael Culbreth — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:01:11 +0000

Thanks for the article Dr. Ja.

Over the years I have heard positve things about the Peace Corp. It is sad the more African Americans have not taken advantage of this experience. Michael Culbreth

By: Ja A. Jahannes

Ja A. Jahannes — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:38:12 +0000

Sheila Sawyer, Lincoln University was and still is an ideal location for Peace Corps training. Sorry you did not have that experience,but at least you had an opportunity to attend Lincoln University (PA), one of the premier universities in the world. Thank you for your comment.

By: Joan Gould

Joan Gould — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:30:55 +0000

I too did not realize that the Peace Corps still existed. I'm glad you have brought it to my attention. I had a husband who administrated that group in West Africa and was stationed in Liberia (when it was safe to be there). I met some of the people who volunteered. They were a remarkable bunch. Since then

when I meet someone who has been in the Peace Corps I am impressed by their extraordinary experiences. I also have a husband who was an administrator at Lincoln University and did not know that Lincoln trained volunteers.

By: Ja A. Jahannes

Ja A. Jahannes — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:19:54 +0000

I appreciate that comment from Miriam Center who is herself a brilliant novelist, essayist and playwright!

By: Dr. Lenetta Raysha L

Dr. Lenetta Raysha L — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:00:17 +0000

Vividly I remember as an adolescent listening to the various stories from different Lincoln University Peace Corp participants expounding on their experiences in my grandmother's restaurant- Ye Ole Lions Inn located next door to the campus.

The Peace Corps certainly has been diligent, consistent, and relevant- an effective method for young people to travel abroad to assist other communities with agriculture, technology, health care and the like.

The critical question for the next generation of Peace Corp volunteers is- Can Peace Corps participants, upon return to America, heal our own communities?

In my opinion, I think, in part, this is what President Kennedy was trying to achieve when he stated, "Ask not what your country can do for you -ask what can you do for your country."

Happy 50th birthday.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:49:51 +0000

Good article. I did not realize that 50 years had passed. It brought members of how my Mom was very interested in joining the Peace Corp but did not get the chance. The Corp opened the eyes of many African Americans and may have changed the views of Africans and others about African Americans. Thanks for the article.

By: nathaniel bracey

nathaniel bracey — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:48:25 +0000

Good article. I served in the Peace Corps from 1977-79 and in fact was one of the first Black volunteers ever to serve in the country now known as Burkina Faso. The total time I was in the Peace Corps was one of the more transformative and ascendant experiences I have ever undergone in my life.

By: Sheila Sawyer

Sheila Sawyer — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:43:44 +0000

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY, Peace Corps!

I was 12 when President Kennedy first established the Peace Corps, and I just knew that's what I wanted to do – graduate from high school, go to college, and join the Peace Corps. President Kennedy's Peace Corps inspired the young people of the nation, including me. Problem was that my dad didn't think it a good idea. It wasn't his plan to send his only child to college to have her go to some African country to labor for 50 cents a day. I knew Lincoln University (PA) trained Peace Corps volunteers in the summer, and I had been admitted to Lincoln. There was still hope. By the time I entered, however, Lincoln as a Peace Corps summer training site was no more. Whether a reality in the lives of some young people or a dream, even distant, for so many others, the Peace Corps helped spark a new consciousness for a generation. Thank you, Dr. Jahannes, for reminding me of that.

By: Miriam Center

Miriam Center — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:21:52 +0000

Dr. Jahannes is a brilliant writer and has captured the feeling of the peace Corp. I had two friends (both white) who served and would take nothing for the great experience of their lives.

By: Betty Darby

Betty Darby — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:10:06 +0000

I am sad and a little ashamed to say I did not realize the Peace Corps still existed. I assumed it must have been consumed by some other program. I can remember when they had an active publicity campaign going. Publicity like that is a double-edged sword — when public service outlets get tired of promoting you for free or your own advertising budget runs out, people assume the sudden silence means you are not there any more. So, happy birthday, Peace Corps! Throw a big enough party that people know you are still kicking!

By: Jerry Silverman

Jerry Silverman — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:57:20 +0000

My experience and view of the Peace Corps is similar to Dr. Jahannes'. Although not a PCV myself, I lived more than half of my adult life living in so-called "developing" or "third world" countries working in international development for more than four decades and was able to see and interact with PCVs in many countries. Contributing to small-scale projects within local communities while humanizing the picture of the USA overseas are clearly valuable contributions in itself. Nonetheless, I maintain that the greatest contribution of the PC is to the volunteers themselves and, more broadly, to the civil society of the United States itself. Nothing compares — really nothing — to an understanding and acceptance of the multi-cultural fabric of today's world than the kind of direct involvement in local communities that the PC provides to its volunteers. And there can be little doubt the PCV's are disproportionately represented among civic, political, and economic leaders throughout the USA. So kudos for a continuing job well done.