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Celebrating the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.

photo MLK banner on the SGI-USA World Culture Center  [Edward Chen]

To mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), SGI-USA members participated in events illustrating that Dr. King's message of nonviolent activism as a vehicle of change is still relevant today.

On January 19, former United Nations under-secretary-general Anwarul Chowdhury spoke at an interfaith event at the SGI-USA World Culture Center in Santa Monica, California. The event featured music, readings and scholarship presentations. "The world is eagerly waiting for the realization of Dr. King's dream," Mr. Chowdhury told an audience of about 600. He stated that in order to effect a "transition from force to reason and from conflict and violence to dialogue and peace," it is necessary to cultivate the mindset of nonviolence, tolerance and peace advocated by Dr. King.

photo Mr. Chowdhury calls for a war on poverty  [Edward Chen]

He reiterated Dr. King's call for a war on poverty and, drawing on his UN experience in developing countries, highlighted that poverty strips people of their dignity and hopes, feeding marginalization and human rights abuses. In conclusion, Mr. Chowdhury said promoting peace is something everyone can practice daily and designated education which imparts a "culture of peace" as the key to advancing the legacy of Dr. King. The event was co-hosted by the Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition.

In New York, SGI-USA and The Temple of Understanding co-organized the Sixth Annual Youth Nonviolence Conference at SGI-USA's New York Culture Center on January 24. The conference was tailored to attract both high school and college students and aimed to inspire action for global sustainability. Under the umbrella theme "Sustainability: Embracing a Global Initiative," the event included films and workshops.

In Indiana, January 12-15 saw SGI-USA members cosponsoring "Yesterday's Dream, Today's Reality," which began with the opening of the "Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace" exhibition and included recitations of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech in various languages.

photo Commemorating MLK Day with a clean-up along the Anacostia River  [Rob Hendy]

On January 15, SGI youth from the Washington, D.C., area joined forces with other young people in an interfaith initiative to clean the Anacostia River shoreline, followed by dialogue groups using different prayers as a springboard for discussion of environmental issues. Having experienced the richness that diversity brings and the actuality of unifying for change, participants left determined to work for peace in their communities.

Coinciding with the spirit of MLK Day and the site's 10th anniversary, SGI-USA relaunched its Victory Over Violence (VOV) website www.vov.com. VOV is a youth-sponsored initiative which aims to empower young people to identify the causes of violence by promoting nonviolence through dialogue and spreading the message of the sanctity of life. The site functions as a social networking community and educational resource to promote the spirit of nonviolence among youth, families and communities. The site also includes the VOV peace pledge, which more than 1 million people have signed.

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