The Kern Institute Community & Institutional Engagement Pillar diligently works throughout the year to research and recruit world leaders in medical education to present Kern Grand Rounds at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The team proudly presents a monthly guest lecturer during the academic year whose area of expertise falls within the Triple Aim of Medical Education: Character, Caring, and Competence.

Please plan to join us for a unique Grand Rounds presentation with Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, and published author of "The Gift of Our Wounds" and Arno Michaelis, author of "My Life After Hate" and co-author of "The Gift of Our Wounds" titled "Healing in the Aftermath of Hate."

When white supremacist Wade Michael Page murdered seven people and wounded four in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in 2012, Pardeep Kaleka was devastated. This tragedy followed by suicide would be one of the deadliest mass-murder hate crimes committed in US History. One of the victims that day was Pardeep’s father, Satwant Singh Kaleka. Meanwhile, Arno Michaelis, a former skinhead and founder of one of the largest racist skinhead organizations in the world, had spent years of his life committing terrible acts in the name of white power. When he heard about the attack, waves of guilt washed over him and he knew he had to take action to fight against the very crimes he used to commit.

In the aftermath of the Oak Creek shooting, Pardeep reached out to Arno for answers. What would follow this meeting was a journey of two men who breached a great divide to find brotherhood and love. In a world that seems to be tearing itself apart at the the seams, divided by identity, becoming more intolerant, xenophobic, and spiritually ill, it is essential that we remain committed to compassion. This talk will explore the role of both communal and individual trauma and healing.

Pardeep Singh Kaleka is the Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, Published Author of “The Gift of Our Wounds,” and a clinician specializing in utilizing a trauma-informed approach to treat survivors and perpetrators of assault, abuse, and acts of violence. A native of Punjab, India, Pardeep Singh Kaleka grew up in Milwaukee, WI. As a former Police Officer and Educator in the city of Milwaukee, Pardeep understands the difficulty facing our communities, both locally and abroad, and in his practice and out. Pardeep's passion remains one of healing and transformation. An example of this is Serve2Unite, an organization he co-founded in response to tragedy and where he works alongside Arno Michaelis, a Global Peacemaker. This organization engages communities in building healthy social fabric and communal identity to address conflict from a trauma-informed lens. Over the past 9 years, the work of Serve2Unite has been locally and internationally recognized.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Armo Michaelis was a leader of a worldwide racist skinhead organization, a reverend of a self-declared Racial Holy War, and lead singer of the hate-metal band Centurion, which sold 20,000 CDs by the mid-nineties and is still popular with racists today. Single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people he once hated all helped to turn Arno's life around, bringing him to embrace diversity and practice gratitude for all life. After spending over a decade as a successful information technology consultant and entrepreneur, Arno is now a speaker, author of​ ​"My Life After Hate​," co-author of "The Gift of Our Wounds​," and very fortunate to be able to share his ongoing process of character development as an educator working with​ ​Serve 2 Unite​.

Founded as an ongoing peaceful response to the August 5th 2012 Sikh Temple shooting in Oak Creek, WI, S2U engages students creatively with a global network of peacemakers and mentors in partnership with "Against Violent Extremism​",​ "​The Forgiveness Project​", ​"Search for Common Ground​", and​ "​Parents for Peace".​ Through his workshops, Arno leverages the noble qualities of compassion, curiosity, and kindness to engage all human beings to build foundations for diversity appreciation and cultural agility. 

To Register: https://bit.ly/KernGRds021821