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"We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or die separately as fools."
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Register Now!
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Seven Day Training in
Dr. King's Philosophy of Nonviolence
with Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. and Jonathan "Globe" Lewis
2-day with Jonathan Lewis
Thursday-Friday,
May 29-30
9 am-5 pm each day
5-day with Dr. Bernard LaFayette
July 28-August 1 @ RIT
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Dr. Bernard LaFayette at a recent Gandhi Institute-University of Rochester sponsored workshop
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Learn about leadership, justice,
and social change!
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. is a longtime civil rights activist and organizer, who was a leader in the Selma voting rights campaign.
Jonathan "Globe" Lewis, Founder and Executive Director, is a Senior Level Kingian Nonviolence Trainer who started working with Civil Rights legend Dr. Bernard Lafayette as a college student in the 1990s.
*The 2-day training is a pre-requisite for the 5-day Train the Trainers workshop with Civil Rights legend Dr. Bernard LaFayette and Jonathan Lewis,
July 28-August 1 at RIT.
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Jonathan Lewis teaches Rochester youth nonviolence skills, February 2014.
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Dr. Bernard LaFayette Rochester Season for Nonviolence 2014 Youth Training
Video by Anna Kristina Pfeifer
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Interview with Jonathon Jones, Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) Coordinator
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Last month we had the opportunity to interview Jonathon Jones, who is currently serving a life sentence at Groveland Correctional Facility in Sonyea, New York. Jonathon is the one of the inside coordinators for the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops at Groveland, and he was instrumental in the prison's decision to celebrate the Season for Nonviolence in collaboration with the Gandhi Institute.
The questions asked are based on Dr. King's first principle of nonviolence:
Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
The questions were written by students in the Nonviolence Clubs that the Gandhi Institute facilitates at three Rochester area high schools.
How do you choose nonviolence when you have a lot of judgments about someone and they have just upset you?
I choose nonviolence when I have a lot of judgments about someone that has upset me by reminding myself "I don't want to fight." When I'm in that space, I can reach within myself to my nonviolent nature and connect with the other person's nonviolent nature, so we can reach a resolution. If the emotions are too intense, I'll tell the other person, "I don't want to fight over this," and if that doesn't reduce the emotional intensity, I'll walk away.
How do you make nonviolence a part of your life when things are going well?
I make nonviolence a part of my life when things are going well by reminding myself, things are going well because I nourish my nonviolent nature every time I sit in meditation and create positive energy and balance doing yoga. The equanimity, balance and flexibility have created a barrier against situations and people that have stressed me out in the past. External and internal stressors don't bother me with the same intensity.
How have you overcome challenges?
I have overcome challenges in my life with the support of family and friends. The assurance I have people in my corner is enough for me to keep climbing that mountain until 1) I overcome; or 2) my feelings and attitudes about the challenge has changed. If I lack the necessary skill to overcome the challenge, I'll learn them. About two years ago, every morning I recite while looking in the mirror, "I'm fearless in the face of any and all challenges."
Where do you get all your principles?
I got my principles from many sources: primarily my mother, then aunts and uncles, and from studying through reading books about great men and women like Malcom X, Mandela, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., bell hooks, Harriet Tubman, to name a few.
How do you have faith everything will turn out ok?
I have faith everything will work/turn out ok because I have faith in the impermanence of all situations, all things. Meditation and yoga keep faith strong within me. With faith, I practice behavior that will put me in a position to receive miracles and handle the celebration.
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Your Words About Our Work
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One participant's reflection on our April 26 Facilitator Skill Share workshop offered in conjunction with the YWCA's Stand Against Racism Day:
I just want to congratulate Shannon and Anna on the fantastic workshop you put together. I have attended literally hundreds of workshops over many years and this was one of the best. The presenters were so good, especially Judy and Sherry, beginning and ending. But each presenter brought a unique message and their individual styles which, together, created a rich tapestry.
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Photos from our annual Interfaith Banquet at the University of Rochester
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Interfaith Banquet Organizer Fatima Bawany welcomes guests.
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Students from RIT performed a traditional Muslim song of prayer
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Jewish students from the University of Rochester began the banquet with a musical performance
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Participants sharing stories at the 2014 Interfaith Banquet
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Gandhi Service Fellowship
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Congratulations Matias on winning the University of Rochester Seth H. & Harriet Terry Prize!
 2013-14 Gandhi Fellow,
Matias Piva
Established in 1928 as a gift from Seth H. Terry, class of 1883, in memory of his parents. This award is given to the male member of the senior class who, by his industry, character and honorable conduct, has done the most for the life and character of the undergraduate community. |
Photo of the Month
| Ground the Drones,
End the Wars
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On April 27, Dr. Cornell West joined hundreds of anti-drone demonstrators outside the front entrance of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY.
Staff member George Payne attended in support.
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Letter from the Director
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May 2014
Dear friends,
We are delighted to offer a special opportunity to Rochester area residents this summer. Forty people will receive 7 days of world-class training in nonviolence and then participate in a community-wide effort to promote healing and reconciliation. Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Bernard LaFayette will return to Rochester to lead the 5 day portion of the training. Our goal is create 80 nonviolence Rochester-area events in August and September as a means to remember and heal from the July 1964 riots and rebellion that took place, some of it just down the street.
Tuition costs will be 90% covered through grants and other fundraising. Tuition is free for youth (who are also eligible to receive a $100 stipend for participating). We thank Dr. LaFayette and his colleagues, the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Area Community Foundation, as well as each of you who supports the Gandhi Institute, in making this happen financially. If you know of an organization that might help to sponsor the remaining $10,000 required for this project, please let me know. For more information, see below and/or view this video from Dr. LaFayette's February visit: http://vimeo.com/93406825
This comes with love from
everyone here,
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Women of the Silk Road:
In Real Life and Popular Imagination
Film Screenings at the
Gandhi House
Silent Waters (Pakistan, 2003)
Tonight!
Wednesday, May 7
7:00-9:30 pm
This is the story of Ayesha, a widow living in a rural Pakistani village with her teenage son, Saleem. A seemingly idyllic life unravels as the winds of change call Saleem into a new and dangerous society and carry ghosts of a terrible past to Ayesha's door.
*Local filmmaker, Mara Ahmed will join the discussion after the film to answer questions about the historical events that give context to the events in the film.
Bliss (Turkey, 2007)
Wednesday, May 14
7:00- 9:30 pm
After Meryem has been raped, she is unable or unwilling to name her assailant. The village elder orders her death to restore the honor of her family. When Cemal the young man assigned the task cannot follow through the young couple run off together into a new life in a new world.
Our Times (Iran, 2007)
Wednesday, May 21
7:00- 9:30 pm
This documentary is particularly relevant because of the difficult economic situation in Iran right now and the election of Hassan Rouhani to the Presidency. It contrasts the election of Mohammed Khatami, an enormously popular liberal cleric, with the life of a young single mother, living in Tehran with her mother and daughter.
* Iraqi Leila Zand of the Fellowship of Reconciliation will join the discussion after the film and talk about women's circumstances in Iran.
30th Annual Rochester Memorial Day Peace Parade
Monday, May 26 Gather at 10:00 am at East Avenue and Arnold Park
For more information contact:
Re-Generation:
Youth Raising Consciousness Through the Arts
May 31 @ Flint & 944 Exchange Street: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Visit us on facebook @ Re-Generation ROC
Here's your chance to:
- Perform your talents in front of an audience!
- Work with local artists and community organizations
- Learn about opportunities to become employed through the arts
We are still raising money for this event! Contact David Sanchez at ds32843@gmail.com
Third Annual Nonviolence
Summer Intensive at the Gandhi House
Monday-Thursday June 30-July 3, 2014 9 am-5 pm each day
Are you interested in learning Gandhi and Dr. King's philosophies and how they can be taught and applied today? Are you interested in examining violence and nonviolence in your own life and community?
During the workshop, participants will learn:
- the life and teachings of Gandhi and King
- Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
- Tools for inner change
- Deep ecology
The Intensive will be interactive with a focus on group-based learning.
Limited spots available!
Questions? Contact George:
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A process of discovery to raise awareness about the impact of race in our everyday lives
Sponsored by the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL).
For more information contact Rebecca Fuss at 428-8350
Wednesday,
May 14, 6-8 pm
Greece Public Library
Thursday,
May 29, 6-8 pm
Chili Public
Library
Other collaborators include Metro Justice, Asbury First United Methodist Church, NCBI, ACT Rochester, RIT, the Center for Dispute Settlement, and the Gandhi Institute
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Wishlist
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Bike Rack
Laptop computer
Garden tools
Organic coffee and tea
Ink toner (for Xerox Phaser 8560 MFP)
Copy paper
Forks and knives
A pin line
Environmentally-friendly
cleaning supplies 
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 Get Your Gandhi Gear Here!
We are selling homemade
screen printed t-shirts and
handbags to raise funds for the Gandhi Institute, so if you want to stop at the Gandhi House, or invite us to table somewhere to sell items, that would be great!
Sliding scale for bags and recycled shirts with screen printed designed by students is a $10-$1,000,000 contribution.  | |
RIT students printing tote bags!
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Quote of the Month
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I have had many
troubles in my life, but
the worst of them never came.
~ James Garfield |
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