Exploring Alternatives to violence
Veronica A. Tadifa – MAEd Biological Science
Topic Concept
Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi is an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who
became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India.
Mahatma Gandhi birth and early life
 Mahatma Gandhi, born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on
October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, a coastal town in the western part of
British-ruled India (now in the state of Gujarat, India).
 Father, Karamchand Gandhi, was the chief minister of Porbandar,
 Mother, Putlibai, was a deeply religious woman.
 His family belonged to the Vaishya (merchant) caste.
 Gandhi's early schooling was in local schools in Porbandar, where he
studied subjects like arithmetic, history, geography, and languages.
 Gandhi continued his schooling in Rajkot, where his family had moved.
He attended Alfred High School, a colonial institution.
 In 1883, at the age of 13, Gandhi married Kasturba Makhanji, who was
also of a similar age.
 The marriage was arranged according to the customs of the time and was
a traditional arranged marriage.
 Despite the early age at which they were married, Gandhi and Kasturba
remained together until Kasturba's death in 1944. Their relationship
reflected Gandhi's commitment to the principles of simplicity, humility,
and family values.
 In November 1887, the 18-year-old Gandhi graduated from high school
in Ahmedabad.
 In January 1888, he enrolled at Samaldas College in Bhavnagar State,
then the sole degree-granting institution of higher education in the
region. However, he dropped out, and returned to his family in
Porbandar.
 In 1888, Gandhi, at the age of 18, left for London to study law at
University College London.
 Gandhi faced several challenges during his time in London. He felt a
cultural and social gap, and he struggled with some aspects of the
Western lifestyle.
Application
Reflecting on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi
and Martin Luther King Jr. offers insights
into their profound impact on the world, their
shared commitment to nonviolent resistance,
and their enduring legacies.
The impact of Gandhi and King extends
beyond their respective nations. Their
philosophies and strategies have resonated
globally, influencing movements for civil
rights, social justice, and freedom around the
world.
Both leaders emphasized the power of love,
compassion, and understanding in the face of
hatred and injustice. Their teachings
underscored the transformative potential of
embracing humanity's shared values.
We may encounter a lot of violent situations
in our everyday life in which changes our
behavior and if not address properly could
lead to conflict and violence.
In school we often hear cases of violence in
different forms. Cases misunderstanding,
harassment bullying, and physical fight are
very common inside the school. As a teacher
we need to do something to address this
concern.
We can help learners to appreciate and
promote nonviolence through different ways:
  Gandhi completed his law studies in London and, after briefly returning 1. Model Nonviolent Behavior, Like how
to India, moved to South Africa in 1893 to work as a lawyer. Gandi and MLK live, they set as an
 Gandhi, at age 22, was called to the bar in June 1891 and then left example to those others on how to
London for India approach conflict using nonviolence.
 He later worked as a lawyer in South Africa, where he became involved in We as teacher must also examine
civil rights activism. ourselves on our response to stressful
situations our language, expression
and behavior. We teacher must set as
Civil Rights Activism in South Africa: a model to our leaner what we do in
 Gandhi moved to South Africa in 1893 to work as a lawyer, initially on a front of learners seems right to them.
year-long contract. However, his experiences in South Africa led him to That is why what we must always do
stay for over two decades. what is appropriate.
 Gandhi personally experienced racial discrimination in South Africa, 2. Ensure that the classroom is a safe
which deeply affected him. He was once thrown off a train despite having and inclusive space where students
a first-class ticket because of his ethnicity. feel comfortable expressing
 Gandhi began to actively resist the discriminatory laws imposed on the themselves. Address any instances of
Indian community. He organized campaigns and protests against laws discrimination or exclusion promptly.
such 3. Allow the learners to participate in
 Gandhi established the Phoenix Settlement near Durban in 1904 as a setting rules inside the classroom, in
communal living space based on principles of simple living, manual labor, that way they will feel more
and self-sufficiency. responsible to abide the rule they set.
4. Embraces inclusivity and diversity.
 In 1906, at a mass protest meeting held in Johannesburg on 1 1th of
Talk about and celebrate different
September Gandhi adopted his still evolving methodology of Satyagraha
origins, cultures, and viewpoints.
(devotion to the truth), or nonviolent protest
Students should be encouraged to
 In 1910, Gandhi established the Tolstoy Farm near Johannesburg,
value diversity and take lessons from
inspired by the principles of Leo Tolstoy. It served as a center for
it.
communal living and a base for his nonviolent resistance activities.
5. Include nonviolent education in
 Gandhi's efforts in South Africa resulted in some success, including the
teachings of social studies, literature,
amendment of certain discriminatory laws.
history, and other subjects. Examine
 Gandhi returned to India in 1915, having become a seasoned and well-
the lives of historical personalities like
known leader through his activism in South Africa.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma
Gandhi who promoted nonviolence.
Mahatma Gandhi returns in India
Share to learners how this personality
 In 1919 Gandhi becomes a leader in the Indian National Congress
conquer conflict in nonviolent ways.
political party. He campaigns for swaraj, or “self-rule.” He works to
6. Promote cooperation inside the
reconcile all classes and religious sects, especially Hindus and Muslims.
classroom
 In 1920 he launches a noncooperation campaign against Britain, urging
7. Incorporate workshops or conflict
Indians to spin their own cotton and to boycott British goods, courts, and
resolution programs that instruct
government. This leads to his imprisonment from 1922 to 1924.
  Gandhi leads tens of thousands of Indians on a 240-mile (385-kilometer) students in active listening, effective
march to the sea to collect their own salt. The march is a protest against communication, and problem-solving
a British tax on salt and results in 60,000 people being arrested. techniques. Allow them to understand
 In 1931 the British viceroy and Gandhi sign an agreement (the Gandhi- the negative effects of violence and to
Irwin Pact) marking the end of a period of civil disobedience in India settle disputes amicably.
against British rule. The pact involves Gandhi pledging to give up the 8. Manage with bullying and harassment
satyagraha campaign and the British viceroy agreeing to release all those in the classroom head-on. Establish
who had been imprisoned and to allow Indians to make salt for domestic clear consequences for bullying
use. behavior, put anti-bullying programs
 Under a new viceroy, Gandhi is imprisoned again. While in prison he into action, and provide a secure
fasts to protest the British decision to segregate the so-called reporting system for students.
untouchables (the lowest level of the Indian caste system) by allotting 9. Encourage students to participate in
them separate electorates in the new constitution. The fast causes an community service initiatives that
emotional upheaval in the country, and the British agree to change the tackle social issues and promote
policy. peace. Practical experiences can help
 Gandhi, who in 1934 had resigned as leader and member of the Indian them comprehend the effects of
National Congress, becomes politically active again early in World War II, nonviolent actions on a deeper level.
demanding immediate independence as India’s price for aiding Britain in 10. Talk to guardians and parents about
the war. He is imprisoned again, from 1942 to 1944. the value of encouraging nonviolence.
 August 15, 1947, India formally achieves independence from British rule. Encourage them to talk about how to
However, the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan is a develop a unified strategy for
great disappointment to Gandhi, who has long worked for Hindu-Muslim nonviolence education and remind
unity. Rioting between Muslims and Hindus over the partition breaks out them of these principles at home.
in many areas. Again Gandhi turns to nonviolence, fasting until Delhi
rioters pledge peace. These are only a few of the numerous ways we can
 January 30, 1948, While on his way to prayer in Delhi, Gandhi is killed encourage nonviolence in our students; nevertheless,
by a young Hindu fanatic who has been angered by Gandhi’s efforts to as educators, we can actively participate in fostering a
reconcile Hindus and Muslims. peaceful and nonviolent learning environment by giving
students the principles and abilities they need to
advance peace and understanding in their
Mahatma Gandhi Alternatives to violence communities.
Gandhi saw violence pejoratively and also identified two formsof violence;
Passive and Physical. He understands violence from its Sanskrit root, "himsa",
meaning injury. In the midst of hyper violence, Gandhi teaches that the one who
possess nonviolence is blessed. He said “Blessed is the man who can perceive the
law of ahimsa (nonviolence) in the midst of the raging fire of himsa all around
him”
Gandhi objects to violence because it perpetuates hatred. When it appears to do
'good', the good is only temporary and cannot do any good in the long run. A true
nonviolence activist accepts violence on himself without inflicting it on another.
Ghandi held the following beliefs about non violence.
 As long as people accept exploitation, both the exploiter and exploit will
be entangled in injustice but once the exploited refuse to accept the
relationship, refuse to cooperate with it, they are already free.
 Non violence and cowardice do not go together, possession of arm implies
element of fear, if not cowardice.
 A person and his or her deed are two distinct thing hate the sin but not
the sinner.
 If we fight back, we will become the vandal and the oppressors become
the law.
 An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
 Nonviolence is more powerful for converting the opponent and opening
his ears which are otherwise shut the voice of reason.
 Nonviolence demands that the means used should be as pure as the ends
sought. Two wrong will not make one right.

Satyagraha

The term "Satyagraha" is a combination of two Sanskrit words: "satya," meaning

truth, and "agraha," meaning insistence or holding firmly to. Therefore,
Satyagraha can be translated as "truth-force" or "soul-force." Gandhi
understands violence from its Sanskrit root, "himsa", meaning injury. In the
midst of hyper violence, Gandhi teaches that the one who possess nonviolence is
blessed.
There are three basic precepts essential to Satyagraha: Truth, Nonviolence and
self-suffering. These are called the pillars of Satyagraha.
 Sat/Satya - Truth implying openness, honesty and fairness
 The truth is subjective. The whole truth is beyond the
knowledge of man. In the process of working toward the
ultimate truth, satyagraha suggests transforming the opposition
into a trend and proceeding methodically. What one person
blatantly believes to be true may just as clearly be untrue to
another. Gandhi experimented with truth on several occasions
throughout his life.
 Ahimsa/Nonviolence - refusal to inflict injury upon others.
 Gandhi advocated for refraining from inflicting harm—either
physical or verbal—on oneself or others. Ahimsa encompasses
both the presence of compassion and love as well as the absence
 of violence.
 Tapasya - willingness to self-sacrifice.
 In Satyagraha, self-suffering is a test of love. It is initially observed
with great persuasion of the person being approached. Gandhi
made a distinction between cowardice and self-suffering. Gandhi
did not regard life less than others based on his decision to suffer
for himself. It is actually a noble and morally uplifting act of
voluntary assistance.

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr. Baptist pastor Martin Luther King Jr., (January 15,
1929 – April 4, 1968), was a well-known leader of the American civil rights
movement. Because of his Christian beliefs, he is most known for his role in
using nonviolent civil disobedience to advance civil rights. From the middle of
the 1950s until his assassination in 1968, King was a key figure in the
American Civil Rights Movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. birth and early life

 Martin Luther King Jr. was born as Michael King Jr. on January 15,
1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the second child of Martin Luther King Sr., a
pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.
 In September 1935, when the boys were about six years old, they started
school. King had to attend a school for black children, Yonge Street
Elementary School. At an early age he was able to witness various forms
of discrimination from white Americans.
 Upon learning of the hatred, violence and oppression that black people
had faced in the U.S., King would later state that he was "determined to
hate every white person". His parents instructed him that it was his
Christian duty to love everyone.
 In 1936, King's father led hundreds of African Americans in a civil rights
march to the city hall in Atlanta, to protest voting rights discrimination.
King later remarked that King Sr. was "a real father" to him.
 In September 1940, at the age of 11, King was enrolled at the Atlanta
University Laboratory School for the seventh grade.
 In 1942, when King was 13 years old, he became the youngest assistant
manager of a newspaper delivery station for the Atlanta Journal. That
 year, King skipped the ninth grade and was enrolled in Booker T.
Washington High School, where he maintained a B-plus average.
 In high school, King became known for his public-speaking ability, with a
voice that had grown into an orotund baritone. On April 13, 1944, in his
junior year, King gave his first public speech during an oratorical contest,
sponsored by the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the
World in Dublin, Georgia. In his speech he stated, "black America still
wears chains. The finest negro is at the mercy of the meanest white man.
Even winners of our highest honors face the class color bar."
 In 1944, at the age of 15, King passed the entrance examination at
Morehouse College—an all-male historically black college and was
enrolled at the university for the school season that autumn.
 King graduated from Morehouse with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in sociology
in 1948, aged nineteen.
 King enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania.
During this time, King also enrolled in several courses at the University of
Pennsylvania.
 King graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity (B.Div.) degree in 1951. He
applied to the University of Edinburgh to do his doctorate in the School of
Divinity. An offer was made by Edinburgh but he chose Boston instead.
 In 1951, King began doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston
University.[90] While pursuing doctoral studies, King worked as an
assistant minister at Boston's historic Twelfth Baptist Church with
William Hunter Hester.
 At the age of 25 in 1954, King was called as pastor of the Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King received his PhD degree
on June 5, 1955.
 King married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953, on the lawn of her parents'
house in her hometown of Heiberger, Alabama. They became the parents
of four children: King limited Coretta's role in the civil rights movement,
expecting her to be a housewife and mother.
 In December 1959 King announced his return to Atlanta at where he
served as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery,
Alabama and helped expand the Civil Rights Movement across the South.

Activism and leadership

Montgomery bus boycott
 The city’s small group of civil rights advocates decided to contest
 racial segregation on that city’s public bus system following the
incident on December 1, 1955, in which Rosa Parks, an African
American woman, had refused to surrender her bus seat to a white
passenger and consequently was arrested for violating the city’s
segregation law. Activists formed the Montgomery Improvement
Association to boycott the transit system and chose King as their
leader.
 To protest racial segregation on the buses, the African American
community, comprising about 70% of the bus ridership, decided to
boycott the Montgomery bus system. Instead of taking the bus,
African Americans organized carpools, walked, or used other
means of transportation.
 That 381-day, from December 1, 1955, to December 20, 1956
boycott on the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama, led to 1956
U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring that Montgomery’s
segregation laws on buses were unconstitutional.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference

 To coordinate and support nonviolent direct action as a method of
putting an end to racial segregation and discrimination against
African Americans in the United States, the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC) was established as a civil rights
group in 1957. The group was founded by well-known figures
including Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, Martin Luther King
Jr., and others, and it was essential in the American Civil Rights
Movement.
 King gave speeches across the nation and engaged in
conversations about racial issues with leaders in the civil rights
movement both domestically and overseas. Following a brief
conversation with Gandhi's followers about the Gandhian concepts
of peaceful noncompliance (satyagraha), King grew more convinced
that nonviolent resistance was the most effective tool available to
oppressed people in their struggle for freedom. In February 1959,
he and his party were greeted warmly by Jawaharlal Nehru, the
Prime Minister of India, and other dignitaries. King also found
inspiration in Africa. He claimed that “The liberation struggle in
 Africa has been the greatest single international influence on
American Negro students,” he wrote. “Frequently I hear them say
that if their African brothers can break the bonds of colonialism,
surely the American Negro can break Jim Crow.”

Birmingham campaign, 1963

 An essential and strategically significant series of events in the
American Civil Rights Movement was the Birmingham Campaign of
1963. One of the most racially divided cities in the South,
Birmingham, Alabama, was the target of a campaign against racial
segregation, spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. and the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). To draw
attention to the injustices of segregation, the campaign used civil
disobedience and nonviolent direct action.
 The campaign was based on the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and
promoted nonviolent direct action. To oppose discrimination and
segregation, protestors staged marches, sit-ins, and other
nonviolent actions.
 The Birmingham Campaign was unique in that it involved young
people, including kids and teenagers. Students participated in
protest marches, risked arrest, and endured physical abuse from
law enforcement as part of the Children's Crusade.
 When police used dogs and fire hoses on the protestors in
Birmingham, Alabama, in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to
end segregation at lunch counters and in hiring practices garnered
national attention. King was imprisoned along with many of his
followers, including hundreds of students. However, not all of
Birmingham's Black clergy supported him, and some of the white
clergy who had released a statement asking African Americans not
to support the demonstrations were vehemently against him. While
incarcerated in Birmingham, King composed a highly expressive
letter outlining his nonviolent stance:
You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so
forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for
negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent
direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that
 a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to
confront the issue.
 The Civil Rights Movement is said to have changed course because
of the Birmingham Campaign. It proved that civil disobedience and
nonviolent protest are effective means of enacting social change.
 The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited employment
discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin, as well as segregation in public places, was passed
because of the events in Birmingham.

March on Washington 1963

 An estimated 250,000 people participated in the August 28, 1963,
March on Washington, D.C., a political protest racial
discrimination and a show of support for significant civil rights
legislation that was still pending in Congress.
 The "Big Six" of the civil rights movement—James Farmer, Martin
Luther King Jr., John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and
Whitney Young—collaborated to put together the March on
Washington. The primary organizer of it was the activist Bayard
Rustin. Hundreds of thousands of people peacefully gathered
under the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall to demand that
all citizens receive equal treatment under the law.
 During the march, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have
a Dream" speech. Speaking passionately from the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial, King envisioned a time when people would be
evaluated on the content of their character rather than the color of
their skin. Famous for its eloquence, potent imagery, and appeal
for racial justice and harmony, the speech is well-known. King's
dream of an America devoid of racial prejudice struck resonated
with people all around the country and beyond.
 The March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I
Have a Dream" are regarded as watershed moments in the Civil
Rights Movement. It raised public awareness of the problems that
African Americans face and helped to build support for civil rights
legislation.
 The event contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of
 1964 and the momentum that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Chicago Campaign:
 In the mid-1960s, King expanded his focus to address issues of
economic inequality and housing discrimination. He led
campaigns in Chicago to bring attention to these issues.

Opposition to the Vietnam War:

 Later in his life, King became more outspoken against the
Vietnam War, connecting issues of racial injustice with broader
issues of militarism and poverty.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s activism was defined by his moral and spiritual
commitment to justice, equality, and nonviolent resistance's
transformative power. His legacy continues to serve as a powerful symbol
in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and human dignity.

 Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
for his leadership and commitment to nonviolent resistance
principles in the fight for civil rights and racial equality in the
United States. King was only 35 years old at the time, making
him one of the Nobel Peace Prize's youngest recipients. In
accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, King stressed how global
justice movements are interconnected. He talked about how
there was a need for a "worldwide fellowship" that could deal
with poverty, war, and racial injustice.
 April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while he was Standing
on the motel room balcony he was shot and killed on the
evening of that day. He was scheduled to lead a protest march
in Memphis in support of the city's striking garbage workers.
 After his passing, the country was plunged into grief, and the
civil rights movement's objectives were given new life.
 A major part of King's legacy is his dedication to nonviolent
activism, justice, and equality. The United States celebrates his
birthday as a national holiday.
 As a student of theology, King was inspired by Gandhi and his
achievements in nonviolent activism, and he identified Gandhi as one of
the "people who greatly reveal the working of the Spirit of God."
Martin Luther king believed in the following about nonviolence.
 Nonviolence does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent
but to win his friendship and understanding.
 Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.
 Nonviolence thrives on love rather than hatred.
 Nonviolence requires willingness to suffer and amazing discipline
in the midst of provocation.
 Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
Although there are times when violence seems like a quick and effective
way to solve issues, King's legacy shows us that nonviolence can actually
be a powerful force for good, eventually promoting equality, justice, and
understanding.

REFERENCES:

https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/mahatma-gandhi

The life and work of Mahatma Gandhi | Britannica

Satyagraha | Gandhi’s Nonviolent Resistance, Civil Disobedience | Britannica

What is Satyagraha? - Definition from Yogapedia

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. – Biography - NobelPrize.org