Campaign Nonviolence Action Days wrapped up on October 2nd, and we are still receiving great reports about actions from around the world. Covering nonviolence towards ourselves and actions designed to bring nonviolence to the larger world, these reports are uplifting and empowering. If you participated in an action and haven’t submitted your report yet, please write to us here so we can uplift your efforts too.

Vasanthi Ranganathan with CNV lake view Training center in Mumbai, India shares of their “Yoga inner peace” event on September 29, “Very simple easy exercise with Q & A also inputs on therapeutic value of yoga. Inner peace will result in better respect for others. Lesser disease will reduce anger.”

MacGregor Eddy with the group Salinas Palestine Solidarity shared that in Salinas, California on September 28, they held an event called, “Hands off Lebanon, no weapons to Israel.” She writes, “The Salinas Palestine Solidarity is a very new group just forming in response to the slaughter of people by Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon. We chose to bring our signs to the Salinas Airshow, with jets as entertainment.  We were surprised how well it went, very few negative reactions. People want nonviolent solutions. Our signs were saying that the killing must stop, the United States sending of weapons to Israel must stop now. There was surprisingly little negative response from the people going into the airshow to watch military might as entertainment.”

Tom Hastings shared about the online event “Gandhi's 155th Birthday Party w/ PeaceVoice Writers Salon.” He writes, “On October 2, the International Day of Nonviolence, and the 155th birthday of Mohandas K. Gandhi, 12 people gathered virtually for an online discussion of Gandhi's life and legacy. Hosted by the PeaceVoice Writers Salon, the core group of writers were joined by Portland State University students, activists, and members of the general public. People shared personal experiences of how Gandhi's life influenced their own choices as activists, educators, and writers. Experience levels ranged from a professor associated with the Ahimsa Center to a young student just learning about these topics. Some participants shared how Gandhi's approach to nonviolence made them examine their own lives through a new lens, seeing how they had engaged in constructive program, compassionate responses, conflict resolution, nonviolent parenting, and more. Books and writings such as Gandhi's Talisman, My Experiments In Truth: An Autobiography, and The Forgotten Woman: The Untold Story of Kastur Gandhi were brought up and discussed. Resources such as Nonviolence News, Metta Center's Nonviolence Daily, and the MK Gandhi Institute's Gandhi Cards were shared.

Tom Hastings created a 100+ image slide deck of photographs and quotes from Gandhi, bringing into the virtual room visual images of his handspun clothing, early years as a lawyer, ashrams in India and South Africa, Salt March, spinning campaign, and funeral.

This discussion was organized by PeaceVoice, a program that is devoted to changing U.S. national conversation about the possibilities of peace and justice and the inadvisability of war and injustice. We are a collection of writers across the country who believe that nonviolent conflict transformation from destructive to constructive—peace and justice by peaceable means—can help shape public discourse and thus, ultimately, public policy.

By creating a space where participants of all ages and experiences levels could share about and reflect upon Gandhi's example, this teach-in on the International Day of Nonviolence helped people reflect deeply on those who came before us. It brought new perspectives, ideas, and knowledge into the conversation and gave participants a lot of mull on as they went forth. Learning from history, nonviolence heroes, and one of the greatest strategists and organizers of all time supports us in stepping ever more deeply into the lineage of nonviolence and a nonviolent life.”