The Peace and Justice Initiative is founded at Valencia College as a faculty and staff program to explore the question, "What would peace and justice look like on campus?"
PJI adopts the Principles for How We Treat Each Other as our practices of respect and community building.
Faculty attend the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies "Teaching Peace in the 21st Century" seminar.
PJI hosts first scholar-in-residence Michael Nagler, Gandhian scholar of nonviolence and author of "Search for a Nonviolent Future" and hosts workshops for students, faculty, staff, and the community.
The PJI community Advisory Council is established to bridge the work at the college with the larger Central Florida community.
PJI launches Global Peace Week celebrating the UN International Day of Peace, and advancing the Culture of Peace. Peggy McIntosh, a National Women's Hall of Fame inductee, speaks to the college about her groundbreaking work on privilege and creating classrooms in which all students can thrive academically and socially.
PJI hosts Conversations on Race in response to emerging civil unrest throughout the United States. PJI launches Conversation on Justice to restore dignity, heal harm, and create communities where every person’s humanity is honored. PJI hosts the first of three international peace conferences in Jamel, Haiti.
The Peace and Justice "Initiative" becomes the Peace and Justice “Institute” with the first contractual agreement to bring Orlando Speaks, a dialogue between residents and police to talk about race, to all six districts of the city.
PJI trains 3,500 city of Orlando employees in the workshop, Conversations in Inclusiveness. Scott Maxwell from the Orlando Sentinel includes PJI in his annual "101 Things to Love about Central Florida."
PJI expands its leadership team, develops corporate training, and increases community programming. Valencia College President Sandy Shugart highlights PJI as a significant achievement in the College's 50 Year Anniversary Program.
Rachel C. Allen, PJI Director, is invited to speak at a special session of the United Nations to present PJI as "A Credible Pathway to the Culture of Peace." PJI facilitates nine “Ocoee and Beyond: Paths to Truth and Reconciliation” community forums to educate the community about the Ocoee massacre. PJI Summer Academy launches for teachers. PJI's newsletter publishes as a print and digital magazine called the Journal.
PJI convenes the first annual Creating a Resilient Community: From Trauma to Healing Conference featuring Dr. Vincent Felitti, author of the original ACEs study and establishes the Resilience Network.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PJI swiftly moves all programming online, including the annual Resilience conference. PJI served over 1,500 clients and participants in a virtual environment.
PJI receives Mayor Buddy Dyer's Community Builder Award.
PJI wins the Orlando Business Journal Diversity in Business Award. The city of Sanford hires PJI as lead consultant to develop their REEI (Race, Equality, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee.
The Peace and Justice Institute establishes as an independent nonprofit with a Board of Directors, and a new logo.
PJI launches the inaugural Civil Rights History Tour in the American South. The Whole School Resilience Program is developed for the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools and serves over 2,000 students, teachers, parents, and administrators. PJI wins the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council’s Health & Equity Diamond Award. Peace Day in the Park returns to Central Park, Winter Park as a staple event. PJI’s community policing dialogues are featured as a best practice by the United States Department of Justice in their publication “Tools for Building Trust.”
Millennium Middle School is featured at the National Model Schools Conference to showcase best practices integrated through PJI’s Whole School Resilience Program.
