Candace Sofia Carnicelli is a longtime peace activist and nonviolence practitioner, artist and educator. She considers herself an omnist – one who recognizes and respects all religions and the sacred truths on which they are established – and ascribes to the Dalai Lama’s proclamation, “My religion is kindness.” Drawing from the mystical vein of Catholicism in which she grew up, Candace has been inspired by a variety of interfaith experiences and practices.
She joined Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence (www.commonpeace.org) as a volunteer during Arun Gandhi’s first Season for Nonviolence in 1998. She became Executive Director in 2007. Candace’s greatest passion is the art of nonviolence and the power and possibilities of restorative justice, and finding creative ways to communicate about them. She holds a BA from the University of Pittsburgh in speech science and an MA from Florida State University in theatre arts and voice. Candace is also a longtime paralegal and educator in the legal field. However, she considers it her greatest educational blessing to have been mentored since 1998 by the Rev. James Lawson, Jr., renowned architect and strategist of the U.S. nonviolence movement.
A longtime member of the Topanga Peace Alliance, Candace also is involved in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition for Justice and Peace and James Lawson Institute. She served for many years as a volunteer producer on KPFK 90.7 FM’s Morning Review. Candace has co-facilitated the Peace Center’s monthly Common Peace – Race Relay dialogue for the past six years. Currently, she is touring her one-woman show, “Becoming Peace: A One Woman Rhythmic Dramedy about Power, Culture, Violence and Nonviolence.”
Storyteller, Healing Our World: Addressing the Wounds of Racism