OLLI-HIST-2273 - Surrender: My Journey from Guerrilla to Grandmother

Course Description

In 1970, at the height of unrest over the Vietnam War, Brandeis student Katherine Power abandoned her commitment to peace and joined a violent revolutionary group. During a bank robbery by this “guerrilla band,” Boston Police Officer Walter Schroeder was killed. For more than two decades, Power eluded the police and the FBI, settling into an ordinary life as a chef, neighbor, and mother. In 1993, she surrendered to the authorities, pled guilty to her crimes, and served six years in prison. In her memoir, “Surrender: My Journey from Guerrilla to Grandmother,” Katherine Power recounts and reflects on her path from defiance and denial through layers of surrender. In this course, she will read excerpts from the memoir and invite questions and discussion. Presenter: Katherine Power Katherine Power studied at Brandeis University, earned a bachelor’s degree through the Boston University Prison Education Program, and holds a master’s in philosophy, ethics and writing from Oregon State University. She has taught with both the Brandeis and Rainbow Lifelong Learning Programs, as well as in community groups and college classes. She uses her public inner journey from the politics of rage towards the practices of peace to inspire audiences to open their hearts, eyes and minds.