John, 30, grew up on a farm in rural Iowa and has worked as a teacher, prison chaplain, campus minister and a coordinating member of Voices in the Wilderness. He is living on the South Side of Chicago with his spouse, Megan, and he is currently teaching 8th grade. John is interested in connecting with other radical teachers in the Midwest! Since his travel to Iraq in August of 2003, where he developed friendships with ordinary Iraqis and did grassroots advocacy for human rights, John has spoken at rallies, conferences and retreats to convey in some small way the experiences of ordinary Iraqis today under US military and economic occupation. As a peace educator, John believes in the power of nonviolence as a way of life and as a tactic for promoting social justice in local communities and in the world.