Letter from Chancellor Marcellette Williams
To the Campus Community:
On November 6-7, the University of Massachusetts Amherst has invited
Linda and Peter Biehl to join us to discuss the life, death, and
legacy of their daughter, Amy Biehl.
A Fulbright scholar and activist for democracy and human rights,
Amy Biehl travelled to South Africa to study the role of women
in the transition to democracy. She worked on voter education
prior to the nation's historic elections that marked the end of
Apartheid, the policy of racial separation and oppression in South
Africa. In August of 1993, while driving friends home to the black
township of Guguletu, Amy was killed.
Rather than turning away from South Africa in anger over their
daughter's death, Peter and Linda Biehl turned toward the disadvantaged
communities which Amy had embraced, establishing a foundation
in her memory that would carry forward her commitment to human
rights and human enablement. They have supported amnesty for the
men who participated in Amy's murder, even employing two of them
to help deliver loaves of bread that bear Amy's name to people
in need.
The Biehls' visit provides us with an opportunity to turn toward
each other as we explore the meaning of "Living Values" for us,
in our time, in our contexts. The theme "Living Values" is a tribute
to people like Linda and Peter Biehl who have lived out the values
they hold, in ways that help others become more healthy and whole.
The presence of people who live their values can inspire our own
commitment, as individuals and as a campus, to ethical action
congruent with our aspirations for a better world.
Further, the Biehls' visit will introduce us to the Amy Biehl
Foundation and its many projects in South Africa. Through our
engagement with the Foundation, the University can open opportunities
for students to participate in community-based internships or
other learning opportunities in South Africa.
I am delighted to welcome Peter and Linda Biehl to our campus.
We have much to learn from each other.
Sincerely,
Marcellette G. Williams
Chancellor
