The summit was open to people of all races, nationalities, sexual orientation, families and local communities to present their theme, “Putting the Puzzle Back Together,” focusing on the subjects of peace, unity and social justice.

SBWMSU hosted a mixture of 50 students and community members.

The first summit was created after the spike in racial incidents in fall 2011, such as a slur on a wall in Armstrong Hall.

Moore said continuing the free event for a second time and beyond is something she and the rest of SBWMSU plan to do and build upon.

“We provided the necessary tools to set the foundation to promote peace on campus from last year’s summit, but now it is about putting the puzzle pieces together to build and grow on it in our local communities,” Moore said.

“The message is spreading and people are interested, so I can hope that next year this can be bigger.”

Keynote speaker Donzaleigh Abernathy spoke of women’s rights, how women have been threatened throughout the years and how women today can be successful.

“There is a dividing line that will make a difference in your life, and that is your education,” Abernathy said in her lecture. “What it takes to be a successful woman is self-preservation, self-esteem, self-respect and self-love.”

Social work sophomore and member of SBWMSU Marjorie Bothwell said the purpose of the summit is to stop any injustice against any person of any race and become more involved with the community.

“The controversy on campus can be solved if we come together and move forward as a unit,” Bothwell said of discrimination on campus, including racial slurs found on a Butterfield Hall wall in fall 2011. “I am very inspired, and now I want to be more productive in the community.”

MSU alumnus Ashiq Rahiman was asked by SBWMSU to speak in the peace section about visualizing the big picture. Rahiman came to MSU as an international student from Dubai and addressed the question of what peace means.

“I was invited because I bring a perspective that isn’t from here,” Rahiman said. “In Dubai, it is relatively quiet and when I came here, I felt I moved to a place where the notion of peace was defined in opposition of war.… I wanted to address peace as how it is mainly discussed in the context of global conflict.”

Rahiman also said the summit was one way for students to learn about social issues outside of the classroom.

“Students at this university have access to certain information that we may not have anywhere else,” Rahiman said. “This is really important for people who want to expand and learn about something that they don’t really know beyond the classroom.”