The Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR) will hold “Refuge on the Stage” on Tuesday, April 4.

The event will take place in the Barry and Florence Friedberg Lifelong Learning Auditorium at 4 p.m. with free admission.

PJHR is a multidisciplinary effort that brings together scholars, practitioners, students and community leaders that are invested in the themes of human rights, peace and social justice

Mariela Shaker, international-award winning violinist and motivational speaker, will share her story and perform several pieces.

She is a Syrian American asylee. In 2013, Shaker received a full-tuition scholarship at Monmouth College in Illinois that allowed her to flee Syria and pursue her education. Currently, she is the founder and director of Highams Park Music Academy in London, and supporter of the United Nations Refugee Agency. 

Kuo-Pei Cheng-Lin, adjunct professor at FAU, will be accompanying the performance on piano. 

Angela Nichols, assistant director of the PJHR, said the event is an opportunity for students, faculty and the community to engage in themes related to the center. 

“We hope that [PJHR] is a space where everybody in our community can come together. And explore these sorts of ideas and issues that really affect us indirectly or directly,” said Nichols.

After the performance, the audience will be able to engage with Shaker for a brief Q&A session.

For more information regarding the event, email [email protected].

Ma. Emilia Santander is the Managing Editor at the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, you can reach her on Instagram @emilias_ed or email her at [email protected].