Civil Rights reflections, lessons from Bernard Lafayette Jr. available on tape for students
Greg Gentile
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: News
He said he is hoping they will go back to their country and teach others the same philosophy and ideology.
When Lafayette lent his time to The Cigar for this interview, he was in Israel attending an international conference for nonviolence and peace.
Though Lafayette was literally oceans away from the small state of Rhode Island, he still spoke of problems of the country's violence.
"Our schools have become more violent," Lafayette said.
According to Lafayette, one-third of students drop out in the ninth grade. He is currently working with seventh and eighth graders in Atlanta, Ga. and in Wakefield, Rhode Island to prevent this issue through the means of nonviolence.
Lafayette believes if violence declines in schools, so to will the drop-out rate.
But Lafayette said the problem is not just in schools. "Every profession can use nonviolence."
He is planning for the advancement of nonviolence studies in universities, so college students who wish to take courses in nonviolence can graduate with a certificate in it. His goal is for those students to apply their peaceful teachings into their future workplace.
Lafayette's Oral History Tapes can be accessed online through the University Libraries Web site. According to the URI News Bureau, copies of the tapes will be administered to black history research centers throughout the country.
When Lafayette lent his time to The Cigar for this interview, he was in Israel attending an international conference for nonviolence and peace.
Though Lafayette was literally oceans away from the small state of Rhode Island, he still spoke of problems of the country's violence.
"Our schools have become more violent," Lafayette said.
According to Lafayette, one-third of students drop out in the ninth grade. He is currently working with seventh and eighth graders in Atlanta, Ga. and in Wakefield, Rhode Island to prevent this issue through the means of nonviolence.
Lafayette believes if violence declines in schools, so to will the drop-out rate.
But Lafayette said the problem is not just in schools. "Every profession can use nonviolence."
He is planning for the advancement of nonviolence studies in universities, so college students who wish to take courses in nonviolence can graduate with a certificate in it. His goal is for those students to apply their peaceful teachings into their future workplace.
Lafayette's Oral History Tapes can be accessed online through the University Libraries Web site. According to the URI News Bureau, copies of the tapes will be administered to black history research centers throughout the country.
