Mt. Pleasant Nonprofit Commemorates Nation's 250th Anniversary Through Dialogues on History, Law, and Philosophy

The Cora di Brazzà Foundation's 2026 Memory Parlor convenes leading voices to explore intention and moral responsibility across cultures and generations

MT. PLEASANT, MI, UNITED STATES, July 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Mt. Pleasant, Michigan-based Cora di Brazzà Foundation will convene scholars, historians, jurists, philosophers, artists, and public intellectuals for its 2026 Memory Parlor, Shadow of Intention, to be held July 22–23 at the historic Philadelphia Masonic Temple.

The annual Memory Parlor is a two-day forum devoted to connecting fragmented narratives of peace, justice, history, and philosophy. Through dialogues that bridge history, law, philosophy, religion, and the arts, participants uncover relationships among seemingly unrelated people, events, and ideas, revealing a richer understanding of our shared moral history.

Held during the nation's Semiquincentennial year, the 2026 program is further shaped by four significant anniversaries: the 25th anniversary of the death of philosopher G. E. M. Anscombe; the 70th anniversary of her influential essay Mr. Truman's Degree; the 30th anniversary of the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons; and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Korean philosopher, poet, and democracy activist Ham Sok Hon. Together, these milestones frame a two-day exploration of intention, action, responsibility, and conscience.

"This year's Memory Parlor explores the concept of intention and its importance to conscience and morality, both public and private," said Sandra Weber, historian, author, and member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

The program will feature a distinguished group of scholars, historians, legal experts, and public intellectuals whose presentations approach the theme of intention from complementary perspectives.

Clifton Truman Daniel, eldest grandson of President Harry S. Truman, will reflect on his encounters with survivors of Hiroshima and on preserving the legacy of Sadako Sasaki, whose story has become an enduring international symbol of peace, hope, and the human cost of nuclear war.

Dr. Hope Elizabeth May, philosopher, founder of the Cora di Brazzà Foundation, and professor of philosophy at Central Michigan University, will examine G. E. M. Anscombe's theory of intention and its connection to her influential 1956 essay Mr. Truman's Degree.

Stephen Rapp, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and former chief prosecutor before international war crimes tribunals, will discuss the central role of intent in prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Dr. Won Kwang Paik, translator, educator, and scholar of international relations who is Professor Emeritus of Central Michigan University, will present Power in the Nuclear Age, examining the complementary roles of military, diplomatic, legal, and moral power in reducing nuclear risk.

Sandra Weber, historian and author of two recent books on John Brown, will examine Brown's 1859 Declaration of Liberty and its enduring significance for understanding the relationship between ideals, intention, and action.

Dr. Guy Newland, one of the foremost Western scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, will examine the Buddhist principle of Right Intention and its significance for ethical conduct and moral responsibility. Professor Emeritus of Central Michigan University, Dr. Newland taught Buddhist philosophy and religion there for more than thirty years. He currently serves as President of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan.

Jun Bum Sun, Korean artist, musician, and philosopher, will introduce the first complete English translation of Ham Sok Hon's poem The Great Declaration, written on July 4, 1953, just weeks before the Korean War Armistice Agreement. He will explore the poem's reflections on Asia's contributions to freedom, conscience, and social renewal.

Together, these presentations create a dialogue across cultures, disciplines, and generations. From the American founding to the atomic age, from international criminal law to Buddhist philosophy, and from abolitionism to postwar Korea, the program explores how intentions shape actions, how actions shape history, and how history, in turn, shapes conscience.

Complementing the presentations will be a special display of Violet Oakley's rare The Holy Experiment (1922), a limited-edition folio reproducing her celebrated Pennsylvania State Capitol mural cycle. Oakley's vision of history, governance, and moral progress offers an artistic counterpart to the questions explored throughout the program.

Participants will also enjoy a private guided tour of The Declaration's Journey at the Museum of the American Revolution. The exhibition traces the remarkable history and influence of the Declaration of Independence through rare documents and artifacts spanning two and a half centuries. The tour has been generously supported by the Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation, which has loaned Philip Jaisohn's historic travel trunk together with materials relating to Korea's 1919 Independence Movement that are featured in the exhibition. By placing Korea's struggle for independence alongside America's founding ideals, the exhibition illustrates the global influence of the Declaration and reinforces one of the Memory Parlor's central themes: that the pursuit of liberty, justice, and human dignity unfolds across cultures and generations through interconnected historical narratives.

"Our understanding of history remains incomplete because too much of the history and philosophy of peace and justice has been overlooked or separated into disconnected stories," said Dr. Hope Elizabeth May. "The Memory Parlor exists to connect those fragmented narratives under the protection and shelter of beauty. This year's program explores the concept of intention and its importance both to the course of history and to the cultivation of individual virtue."

Founded in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the Cora di Brazzà Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the untold stories of peace and justice history and philosophy through public scholarship, educational programming, exhibitions, publications, and international dialogue.

Registration is required, and seating is limited. Additional information and registration are available at shadowofintention.com.

Media Contact
Dr. Hope Elizabeth May, J.D., Ph.D.
Founder and President
The Cora di Brazzà Foundation

Hope Elizabeth May
The Cora di Brazzà Foundation
+1 989-773-6551
email us here

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