On September 11, 1906, Mohandas Gandhi convened a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, to mobilize his community to oppose racially degrading legislation. That evening, more than 3000 people solemnly pledged to disobey the proposed law, despite the consequences, without the use of violence.

Celebrating this 100th Anniversary, Pace e Bene, as a Member Organization of the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), an international, unarmed peacekeeping organization, invites you to reflect on the teachings of Gandhi, to make a choice to break the new cycle of violent response that began in September 11, 2001, to discuss ways to continue the work of active nonviolence, and if you feel moved to “work a day for peace.”

Michael Nagler, founder of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley, has written a 44 page booklet, “Hope or Terror: Gandhi and the Other 9/11” which can be used as a resource for the day.

“I choose to break the cycle of violence. I will seek to resolve my own conflicts without violence; and I will encourage nonviolent responses to conflict by my neighbors, governments, and other civilians worldwide.”

You can reflect and take action as an individual, or you [or your local group, local chapter] can schedule a public event or a house party to gather with others to take the aforementioned Resolution together (as well as recording your commitment on-line), and to discuss working for the use of nonviolent solutions to conflicts. At www.workadayforpeace.org, there is a Gathering Guide, a leaflet template you can customize, background articles, and other resources you can use locally to hold your own 100th Anniversary event. The Resolution signatures will be delivered to the UN Secretary General. This will help in our joint work of urging the United Nations to explore unarmed peacekeeping as an alternative to armed peacekeeping.

Work a Day for Peace can also include donating one day’s pay or another amount such as , the cost of supporting one unarmed peacekeeper for a day. Pace e Bene is happy to join with Nonviolent Peaceforce in this campaign that they have done so much organizing for and will be donating 25% of any donation for Work a Day for Peace that we receive to them. Donate a Day’s Wages here. Participants are also encouraged to “work a day” in action: to volunteer in their local communities, to get training in nonviolent conflict resolution, and to learn more about civilian unarmed peacekeeping and nonviolence.