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SGI News: Global activities for peace, education and culture

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorated

Learning the spirit of nonviolence in New York

"Nonviolence is anything but passive, but is rather a pursuit of empathy and action for others, based upon courage, a deep desire to understand each other, and resistance to efforts to divide," said Richard Prinz, a 17-year-old student and peace activist representing the group Free the Children at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Youth Nonviolence Conference, "Visions of Peace: From Indifference to Making a Difference." 

Hosted by SGI-USA at the New York Culture Center on January 17, and organized by the Youth Council of The Temple of Understanding, a global interfaith organization, the conference brought together 200 diverse students, ages 14-25, who traveled from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to listen to new perspectives and find ways to build a new, nonviolent culture. Students representing six religious backgrounds--Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Nichiren Buddhism--planned the event.

"It means so much to me to let you know how your sisters and brothers are suffering here," was a message from a young woman named Hamidah from Baghdad, Iraq, whose class corresponds via e-mail with a Brooklyn high school teacher. "Each night before you close your eyes to sleep, remember that peace is our dream." 

James Logan High School in Union City, California, hosted the exhibition "Gandhi, King, Ikeda (GKI): A Legacy of Building Peace" from January 14-16, as part of commemorative events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

The Coalition of California Black School Board Members has used the GKI exhibition to promote peace and nonviolence education, and over 2,500 people have viewed it at a total of 13 schools in the New Haven Unified School District.

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