Week 9: Peace: The Nonviolent Way June 21, 2017 Week nine Peace: The Nonviolent Way In Week Two, we learned that peace is far more than the absence of war and violence, but that it is a deliberate commitment to love and compassion through action. Nonviolent action is the weapon Dr. King used in his during the Civil Rights Movement by leading several peaceful demonstrations. One effective protest led by Dr. King was the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, a campaign against racial segregation on the public transit system in Montgomery, AL. Dr. King and African American leaders in Montgomery launched the boycott with Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus. They encouraged protesters to walk to work and organized carpools or other means of transportation. The transit system suffered a huge deficit because African Americans were its primary paying consumers. Though it took a little over a year for a federal court to rule segregated buses unconstitutional, the boycott was one of the first, bolstering victories in the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. outlines boycott strategies to his advisers and organizers including Rosa Parks, the only woman pictured. (Photo: Don Cravens/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Just as Dr. King strategized to change segregated public transportation laws, we can also strategize to create change and bring peace in a situation and/or the world. We can start small by inviting a person of another race to dinner for a mutual cultural experience or letting a person who seems angry and rushed in the check-out line skip you. Simple actions can instill peace. LET'S GO! Peace Starts With You Invite someone of a different race to dinner and have them bring foods from their culture as you share yours. Talk about ways to promote peace among races. Take photos and share them with us on our 50 Weeks of Action Facebook Group page. Share how you have been a peacemaker this week, and how you will continue to use nonviolence to explore peaceful methods to change the world. Another Look at Justice (For All Ages) People create peace in many different ways. Watch Playing for Change with a song about peace, What a Wonderful World featuring Grandpa Elliott with children's choirs across the globe or watch Clarence Bekker perform Talkin' Bout a Revolution. In his book, Strength to Love, Dr. King wrote, " Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. " TRY IT! Stand in a dark room. How can you "drive out darkness?" Turn on a flash light. Is the room darker or brighter? Have a friend or family member come in with their flashlight. Does it get brighter? What did Dr. King mean with the quote above? How can YOU be the light? To find out more about peace, click below . SHARE YOUR STORY What peaceful demonstrations have occurred where you live? Were you a part of it? What was demonstration? What was the outcome and solution to what was being protested? Let us hear how you have taken a stand to promote peace in the world and how you plan to continue. # MLK50 Back close Article Submission Form Title Summary Publish Start Date Publish End Date Email Address Description Cancel