Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr’s death, Sinclair Community College will be celebrating a season for non-violence to educate students that are interested in dealing with conflict in a non-violent way, according to Tom Roberts, advisor for the Ohio Fellows.
“The idea is to celebrate a season for non-violence beginning with the death date of Mahatma Ghandi, which is Jan. 30 and concluding on the death date of Martin Luther King Jr., which is April 4,” he said.
The celebration will begin on Feb. 23 at 2:30 p.m. in the Tartan Marketplace of Building 7, Conference Rooms B and C to help students understand that there are other ways to handle conflict, Roberts Said.
“Our goal is for students to come together and use peace as a means to solve several different conflicts that they may face in the world, in school, in the street or at home, and know that there is help,” Roberts said.
While the location and themes of the events will change on a weekly basis, the event is being held to give the Sinclair community the opportunity to “explore other methods of handling conflict and enhance conversation among students and within the community about what it means to handle conflict,” Roberts said.
The goal for the event, Roberts said, is to “expose the Sinclair campus and community to a national and international celebration.
“We are a part of other cities and states that are involved in the peace movement,” he said. “Sinclair will be a part of a national celebration, not just something that is taking place locally.”
The focus of the season for non-violence this year will be building a beloved community based on Martin Luther King’s “World House Vision.”
According to Roberts, Dr. King’s “World House Vision” essay basically states that we all live in one house called the world and we all have an obligation to take care of it.
During the workshops, Robert said students should come with an open heart to discuss, listen and participate. All of the events are free and open to the general public.
“Each one of the workshops will focus on handling the conflict that comes into our lives and will work well to meet the needs of the students,” Roberts said. “We need to understand how to address these issues, in a peaceful manner so that we can have peaceful outcomes.”
Students are asked to RSVP at William.crawford6020@sinclair.edu or call (1937) 512-2768 for more information.