The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program is a partnership between the Anwar Sadat Chair for Justice and Peace and Arts for All that brings together the Colleges of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities to engage students at the University of Maryland.  

The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development, housed in the Department of Government and Politics, and Arts for All, in cooperation with the Department of Art, the Department of English, and the School of Music, hosted the inaugural year of three competitions: The Sadat Music for Justice and Peace, The Sadat Poetry for Justice and Peace, and The Sadat Art for Justice and Peace. 

The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program originated from the longstanding Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Program, a co-sponsored Sadat Chair and Art Department program. 

“My thought in initiating the program a quarter century ago was that issues of justice and peace touch our entire university community – indeed our entire society– and not just those of us who are social scientists. Hearing the voices of artists, with their powerful way of communicating ideas, adds to the conversation across our campus and beyond,” said Professor Shibley Telhami

This year, the program expanded to include submissions from students affiliated with the School of Music and the Department of English for the two new Music and Poetry competitions, co-sponsored by Arts for All. 

“It is an honor to partner with the Anwar Sadat Chair in the expansion of this year’s competition, and I look forward to our continued collaboration. The inclusion this year of poetry and music provides a fitting opportunity for our students to engage their artistry in ways that provide a crucial framing for our entire community of these ever complicated issues,” said Professor Craig Kier, Director of Arts for All and Associate Professor in the School of Music. 

For the inaugural year of this program's three competitions, the Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace focused on self-expression and freedom of speech. This year’s theme for the three competitions was based on a quote from Frederick Douglass in 1860 about freedom of speech: “To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

“The success of the original Art for Justice and Peace with our excellent Art Department encouraged us to add the voices of others from music and poetry. And this year’s theme on freedom of speech provided an excellent opportunity for expansion. We could not be happier with the excellent products the students produced,” added Professor Telhami.

To learn more about the Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace program and to see the inaugural year's winners follow the link below:

Inaugural Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Competitions