CONTEMPLATIVE VOICES 2026
Honoring Valarie Kaur
CONTEMPLATION. COURAGE. REVOLUTIONARY LOVE.
Join the Shalem community as we honor Valarie Kaur, author, activist, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, with the 2026 Contemplative Voices Award.
Rooted in the Sikh tradition, Valarie’s work invites us to recognize the wisdom of contemplative and mystical traditions while honoring the particular gifts each brings to our shared humanity. Her witness reminds us that love can deepen our capacity to encounter one another across difference.
Sunday, November 22, 2026
3-5pm ET Online
Valarie Kaur
VALARIE KAUR is a renowned social justice leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, faith leader, mother, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. She became an activist when a member of her community – a Sikh American father – was murdered in the racial violence that followed 9/11. In the last twenty-five years, Valarie has led visionary campaigns for justice – in the wake of hate crimes, at the sites of mass shootings, inside America’s supermax prisons, and at detention camps from Tijuana to Guantanamo. The communities she served taught her an essential ingredient to birthing a healthy future: love. Valarie now leads the Revolutionary Love Project, igniting a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice, healing, and transformation.
A daughter of Punjabi Sikh farmers in California, Valarie earned degrees at Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School, and Yale Law School and holds several honorary doctorates. In 2022, Valarie was honored at the White House in the first-ever Uniters Ceremony, recognizing her as a visionary leader whose work is healing America. Her books envision a world rooted in the ethic of love – and show us how to get there. SEE NO STRANGER: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, a #1 LA Times bestseller based on her acclaimed TED talk; her children’s book WORLD OF WONDER; and her newest book SAGE WARRIOR, an epic journey into Sikh wisdom and a spiritual handbook for apocalyptic times. Since Fall 2024, Valarie has led the Revolutionary Love Tour, a healing odyssey to more than 65 cities across the United States, equipping people with powerful tools to harness the love ethic for courageous action.
Website: valariekaur.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/valariekaur/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/valarie.kaur.page
A SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE
Honoring Lerita Coleman Brown
During the gathering, we will also pause to honor the life and legacy of Lerita Coleman Brown, beloved contemplative teacher, spiritual companion, and cherished member of the Shalem community. Her wisdom and witness continue to inspire our shared journey.
REGISTRATION
Come as You Are. Give as You Can.
Suggested contribution: $75
We invite you to contribute what you can. Those who are able to give more help sustain this gathering and extend the invitation to others.
To select a different contribution amount, use the drop-down menu on the Cart page and click “Update.”
All registrants receive access to the live gathering and recording.
Become a Supporter, Sponsor, or Patron.
Your generosity helps sustain the Contemplative Voices Award and extend Shalem’s invitation to a wider community. All contributors at these levels will be acknowledged during the gathering.
- Supporter | $250: Includes two registrations
- Sponsor | $500: Includes four registrations
- Patron | $1,000 or more: Includes up to ten registrations, available upon request
To participate at one of these levels, select your preferred contribution amount from the drop-down menu during checkout.
The Zoom link will be sent out a few days prior to the event.
Cancellation Policy: Due to the nature of this event, refunds are not available.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
A Five-Week Book Study of Sage Warrior
Join Jasmine Bellamy, Executive Director of Shalem, for a five-week contemplative exploration of Valarie Kaur’s Sage Warrior. Together we’ll reflect on spiritual courage, revolutionary love, and the practices that help us embody love and justice in our everyday lives. Whether you’re new to Shalem or have been part of our community for years, this five-week gathering offers space to explore how revolutionary love becomes an embodied spiritual practice.
5 Weeks, one hour each week on a Sunday: January 10; January 24; January 31; February 7; and February 21, 2027
$75. Separate registration from the Gathering. Additional details coming soon.
Cancellation Policy: Due to the nature of this event, refunds are not available.
New to Shalem?
For more than 50 years, Shalem has nurtured contemplative living and leadership through spiritual practice, community, and deep listening. We invite you to discover what is possible when we live and lead from a whole heart.
PRIOR RECIPIENTS OF THE CONTEMPLATIVE VOICES AWARD
2011 Margaret Guenther and John Philip Newell
2013 Richard Rohr
2014 Cynthia Bourgeault
2016 Thomas Keating
2017 Parker Palmer
2019 Carrie Newcomer
2020 Barbara Holmes
2021 Joanna Macy
2022 Carolyn Jacobs
2023 Cole Arthur Riley and James Finley
2024 Rhonda V. Magee and Adam Bucko
2025 Fr. James Martin, S. J.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Please contact Erica Van Lunen at erica@shalem.org with questions about the Contemplative Voices Award.
Photo Credits: Valarie headshot wearing yellow (Nina Konji)