M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence


929 South Plymouth Avenue
Rochester, New York 14608
585-463-3266
FAX: 585-276-0203

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Peace in the Garden Program with the Freedom School
July 2014

Letter from the Director
August 2014

Kit Miller 

 

Dear Friends,

 

Images and stories can be unforgettable. My mind has been haunted for days by a photo of an injured baby from Gaza.  Closer to home, one of our summer interns had a heart- rending conversation with a five-year-old during one of our summer programs. This little boy pointed to the sky and said, "My daddy is there, someone shot him in the head." Recalling this, my heart feels like a stone in my chest on this beautiful August morning. The suffering in this world can feel so overwhelming. If this ever feels true for you, I invite you to join me in this daily practice of nonviolence which supports me to transform my own suffering and overwhelm into care and action: 

 

-Make sure each day includes time for prayer and meditation. This can be as simple as sipping a beverage and tuning into noises from the natural world, including traffic, or birdsong, or both in my case! Stay with the sounds and notice your breath.

 

-Spend time every day studying nonviolence, to counteract the idea that violence is necessary or even pleasurable, as popular media often seems to teach.  This summer I have inspired by the book Gandhi Before India, slowly reading and learning the details of the fellowship, the errors, the suffering and the amazing legacy of Gandhi's twenty years in South Africa.

 

-Become engaged to turn your care and love, which underlie the sense of overwhelm at the suffering, into constructive action of some kind. Be nourished by the company of others. Some ideas for that are below.

 

This comes with love,

 

 

Kit Miller

For the Gandhi Institute

Youth and Adults Learn from Civil Rights Legend 

 

 

Last week's training with Jonathan Lewis and Dr. Bernard Lafayette was extraordinary.  Participants between the ages of 12 and 65 spent five days learning to teach and share principles of Dr. King's nonviolence. Check out the Article in the Democrat and Chronicle!

 

Youth from several local schools attended and received a $100 stipend for their hard work and willingness to share these ideas with others. 

 

Our thanks to the following who made the week possible:  University of Rochester, Rochester Area Community Foundation, RIT, and several local individuals.  We couldn't have done it without this support.  Thanks also to Reverend Lawrence Hargrave and to Asbury Methodist Church for hosting the public talk by Dr. Lafayette.

 

Do you want to learn more about Dr. King's nonviolence?

 

From last week's training with Jonathan Lewis and Dr. Lafayette, we've got over 30 people ready to come to your location to share their inspiration and learning about MLK and nonviolence. Contact Kit Miller kmiller@admin.rochester.edu to schedule someone to come to you! We would like to create dozens of opportunities for people throughout this area to learn more about the power of nonviolence.  

 

Thank You, 
Gandhi Institute Summer Interns!



We were delighted to welcome summer interns Katie Engel, Christa Harvey, Margaret Thurston and Theo Weinberger. Christa, Margaret and Theo attended the training with Dr. Lafayette and Jonathan Lewis, see Christa's reflection on that below. Read Katie's thoughts about her time with the Gandhi Institute HERE.

 

"I found myself imagining a lot about the life stories Dr. Bernard Lafayette shared with us. The stories played in vivid color in my mind as if I were there in that moment. I don't believe I could muster up the courage that that he possessed. I saw this as an opportunity to reflect on myself and my habits.

 

Going over the concepts of conflicts types, levels and finding nonviolent solution to these issues were very beneficial. Discussing Nonviolence vs. Non-violence established a difference in the word and its meaning. The six principles of nonviolence were expressed as strategies useful to the development of nonviolence. The six steps were the movements that we need to take if we wanted to make a difference.

 

The conversation within this training was very intense and instead of using old conflict situations as examples, we discussed the real pressing issues in this community. Dr. Lafayette is like a bowl of knowledge and experience and Jonathan was the spoon, feeding us Kingian Nonviolence. I really appreciated the honesty and truthfulness of the trainers. They didn't make it seems like living with nonviolence is easy, they admitted themselves it's something they practice every day in hopes to be a better person and better for their community. I'm excited that I now have the ability and opportunity to share a subject of such grave importance with my community. I'm hoping to give people a taste of what I learn at this 5-day Kingian Nonviolence Training and inspire them try to get their own understanding."


 

-Christa Harvey, RIT Business Management Student, Class of 2015

 

Upcoming Events

Save the Date!

 

Bring your family and friends for music and fun to celebrate Gandhi's birthday with us!

 

929 Plymouth Avenue South

Rochester 14608

 

 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2014 Gandhi Summer Intensive this July!



 Please support the Gandhi Institute so we can keep offering workshops on a sliding scale/donation basis!