Spring Break
Students make pledge of nonviolent lifestyle at MLK's former church
Jeff Sullivan
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
04/09/08 - On Friday, three students from the University of Rhode Island attended a service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church with 2,000 other students to take a pledge of non-violence and remembrance of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
The University of Rhode Island's Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies brought the students to the service to help spread awareness of nonviolent culture.
"It was a very powerful experience, especially when you have that many people there together, you really touch the surface of humanity," said Stephen Yang, one of the URI students who attended the event. "I think a lot of people these days, they forget how valuable interacting with other people is, especially when it comes down to having good will and a kind heart."
Seniors Andrew McQuaide and Brandon Brown also attended the event.
The pledge was a unique experience, Yang said, because it did not just focus on African American issues. It provided a diverse environment for the attendees, as the pledge was read aloud in several languages, including Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and English.
All the students stood and recited the pledge, playing an active role in the event. The majority of the 2,000 students were from surrounding high schools in the Atlanta area, and were involved in a voluntary school program leading up to the event. Gospel singing, prayers and speeches preceded the pledge in order to get the attendees immersed in the 'nonviolent culture.'
"It brought me back to the time when I felt like I was involved and around people that really cared about how you felt," Yang said. "As you get older and experiences pile on, it gets very easy to have a resentment towards things that have caused problems for you or people that made you hurt, and you harbor those feelings until they spill over."
Yang paraphrased King's messages, saying that while that anger and feelings of emotional pain are inevitable in certain situations, the way in which society or an individual deals with that emotional oil spill has to be constructive and work toward forgiveness and redemption rather than an extremist approach of violence.
The URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies is holding a training session this summer to educate students in methods of nonviolence and peaceful reconciliation.
The URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies is located in the Multicultural Center. The purpose of the center is to teach nonviolent methods to solve conflicts and better the society around it Bernard Lafayette, the director of the center, has a long background in the Civil Rights movement, which included co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, heading the Nashville Movement and participating in the Freedom Rides movement.
The University of Rhode Island's Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies brought the students to the service to help spread awareness of nonviolent culture.
"It was a very powerful experience, especially when you have that many people there together, you really touch the surface of humanity," said Stephen Yang, one of the URI students who attended the event. "I think a lot of people these days, they forget how valuable interacting with other people is, especially when it comes down to having good will and a kind heart."
Seniors Andrew McQuaide and Brandon Brown also attended the event.
The pledge was a unique experience, Yang said, because it did not just focus on African American issues. It provided a diverse environment for the attendees, as the pledge was read aloud in several languages, including Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and English.
All the students stood and recited the pledge, playing an active role in the event. The majority of the 2,000 students were from surrounding high schools in the Atlanta area, and were involved in a voluntary school program leading up to the event. Gospel singing, prayers and speeches preceded the pledge in order to get the attendees immersed in the 'nonviolent culture.'
"It brought me back to the time when I felt like I was involved and around people that really cared about how you felt," Yang said. "As you get older and experiences pile on, it gets very easy to have a resentment towards things that have caused problems for you or people that made you hurt, and you harbor those feelings until they spill over."
Yang paraphrased King's messages, saying that while that anger and feelings of emotional pain are inevitable in certain situations, the way in which society or an individual deals with that emotional oil spill has to be constructive and work toward forgiveness and redemption rather than an extremist approach of violence.
The URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies is holding a training session this summer to educate students in methods of nonviolence and peaceful reconciliation.
The URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies is located in the Multicultural Center. The purpose of the center is to teach nonviolent methods to solve conflicts and better the society around it Bernard Lafayette, the director of the center, has a long background in the Civil Rights movement, which included co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, heading the Nashville Movement and participating in the Freedom Rides movement.
