The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology is a multi-purpose organization mostly active in Arkansas and surrounding states in the United States. It was founded by retired University of Arkansas English professor James R. Bennett in 2001. Besides organizing peace demonstrations and forums on issues like climate change in the Fayetteville, Ark. area, the group sponsors awards programs that have recognized literary and peace work on local matters, national and international issues.
Formation
As an English professor at the University of Arkansas from 1965 to 1997, Bennett incorporated peace issues into his courses. While teaching, he joined the local Peace Organization Committee, a group that protested the Vietnam War, and continued engaging in such activities throughout his career. When he retired, he founded the OMNI Center with help from friends, including Dana Copp. The first office was in the basement of the Presbyterian Church’s university campus ministry. They liked the “OMNI” name since it signified being inclusive of all people and issues. They originally called the organization the “OMNI Center for Peace and Justice” but later added “Ecology” to appeal to environmental groups like the Sierra Club.
Activities expand as OMNI grows
The organization grew following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Besides organizing large protests, members developed educational activities. An open mic event and a commemoration for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki began in 2001. The commemoration became an annual event to honor the dead from all wars, while open mics also became regular occurrences. OMNI hired a paid executive director starting in 2012. Gladys Tiffany became the director in 2013 and spearheaded new programs, including a low-power radio station run by volunteers, activist training workshops, women’s support groups, and movie screenings. The group collaborated with other community organizations to stage events such as a Civil Rights Roundtable and lent financial support to other projects. In 2019, OMNI began a new student activism support group at the University of Arkansas to mentor students. In January 2020, about 100 people attended a demonstration organized by OMNI and the Arkansas Nonviolence Alliance in Fayetteville to protest a potential war with Iran.
International PeaceWriting Award
Bennett established the International PeaceWriting Award program in 1999 to recognize fiction and nonfiction book-length works that focus on the causes, consequences, and remedies of wars, as well as those covering nonviolent peacemaking and peacemakers. After forming OMNI two years later, that center became one of the sponsoring organizations of those awards, along with the Peace and Justice Studies Association of Georgetown University. Honorees of the program, who received a cash prize along with recognition, include:
In 2004, OMNI and the American Friends Service Committee started the Arkansas Peace and Justice Heroes Award program to recognize advocates throughout the state. Honorees who have been recognized at a formal banquet include:
