Accelerating Racial Justice & UC - Aligned Missions for Justice

Students who hold formal leadership roles in RAPP are selected for, among other things, the knowledge and skills they bring to the program.  Since we're a program committed to continual learning, not only do they learn through their participation as a leader in the program they're selected for but they also learn through pre-service training.  We're currently in the midst of pre-service training for ARJ 2013 leaders!

One thing I value working with leaders on in preparation for their roles is exploring where RAPP's programs fit into the university mission and vision.  My premise is that in working on our mission of fighting oppression through individual awareness and collective action we are supporting every mission above us.

As a part of this activity, we also explore the complex, tangled tree that is UC's organizational chart.  While this can be overwhelming and demoralizing, my hope is that in highlighting how many people all throughout the chart are working on building diversity and creating inclusion we feel less small and lonely.

A faked Tumblr image showing several (though not all) of the mission statements above RAPP (the Provost's Office could go between Student Affairs & Services & the university overall).

A few initial notes on how our mission connects with the ones above it.

12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute - The Full Experience

Participants and leaders of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute

Thanks to a UC Diversity Council Diversity Investment Grant and Student Activities & Leadership Development, I was able to participate in the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute June 3-14, 2013, at the University of Rhode Island.

Throughout the Level I Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation certification process, I blogged daily to share my experience.  I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone interested in social change, social justice, and/or nonviolence attend - this institute helps bring all those together and prepare you to help people through a similar synthesis.

Here are the blog posts in chronological order:

• Overview (includes full list of learning outcomes for the institute)
• Inner Peace
• A Night on King, the Person
• Two is One
• King’s Six Principles of Nonviolence
• A Force More Powerful
• Pilgrimage
• Moving into Action
• Mighty Times
• Nonviolence is…
• The Roots of Ahimsa
• Gandhi and King
• Level I Assessment
• Restoring Our Spirits
• Moving into Effective Training
• Beloved Community Supper
• Jumping In
• Waging Peace
• Refining the Practice
• “Fate Comes Knocking”
• Unofficial Success
• Celebrating our Beloved Community
• Let’s Celebrate

I look forward to working with the RAPP Steering Committee throughout the summer to prepare our implementation plan for Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation training and supportive educational programming.

Notes from Nonviolence: Let's Celebrate!

The final day of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute can be summed up in two words:  Reflection & Celebration!

In the morning, we completed assessments and took care of lots of closing details (giving information for co-trainer database, finalizing departure plans, going over the process of the certification ceremony).  It was a good, easy morning after two full intense weeks of training.

The big excitement was the afternoon!  We were joined by University of Rhode Island dignitaries as we closed out our experience and those of us being certified were recognized.

Check out this list of leaders from around the world ready to teach and lead with the principles of Kingian Nonviolence!

It could have easily been a dry afternoon of certificates and handshakes.  Instead, it was a celebration of learning and community.  As befits nonviolence work, there were wise words in calls to action, celebration of successes, and music to fill us with energy and hope as we scatter back around the globe.

Kojo Frempang shares about his learning through a poem:

As the photo shows, it's official - Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation is coming back to UC!  Keep your eyes out here for the launch of these trainings in fall!

I receive my Level I certification from center director Dr. Paul Bueno de Mesquite

Notes from Nonviolence: Celebrating Our Beloved Community!

After a long day of our final assessment for certification, the participants in both Level I and Level II Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation training at the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute had a night of letting loose.

After a delicious dinner, the night was kicked off with a performance by 5th Elament with an energetic set of empowering music.

Kalyana Champlain, aka 5th Elament

The 401 Group, a local B-Boy/Girl group, amped the crowd up and we filled the night with song and dance. A highlight of the night was when our classmate Kalisa, a peace activist and musician from Rwanda, performed a song he wrote just that night called "Hobe (Peace)."

We celebrated ourselves, our learning, and our community together. As many who were in the Civil Rights Movement have said, they had music and humor to keep their spirits going in the hard times.  We enjoyed music and humor to celebrate our two weeks together in intensive training, a perfect way to spend our final night together.

Notes from Nonviolence: Unofficial Success

Day Eleven of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute was a stressful but surprisingly fun one:  We were evaluated on our presentation of the two-day Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution training we've spent two weeks being trained to lead.

A whole host of faculty and Kingian Nonviolence certified trainers teamed up to assess and provide feedback on our use of effective facilitation strategies, ability to work with co-trainers, and understanding of and adherence to the curriculum.

It's not official until tomorrow, but word on the street is we passed.  We'll officially be Level I Certified!

Chief Amos & Gabby lead an activity about values.

Notes from Nonviolence: "Fate Comes Knocking"

The evening program for Day Ten of the 12th International Summer Nonviolence Institute left our group agape and overwhelmed!  We were treated to a performance of "Fate Comes Knocking" by the Mixed Magic Theatre.

This was a beautiful near-culmination of our initial study together of King's work and philosophy.  The show mixes (magically!) drama, comedy, music, and media to weave together the story of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., with an emphasis on the impact and role of the everyday people who participated in the movement.

It humanized a person we too often put on a pedestal.  It reminded us of the countless leaders who came before and walked with King.  It highlighted the complicated nature of movements and how in telling "the tale" of Civil Rights we leave out all the intersections the movement included (gender, religion, class).  It reminds us that no group of people - even those involved in a common movement - are monolithic.

It was particularly poignant for us to experience this performance on June 12th, the anniversary of the murder of Medgar Evers (put in context well in this timeline).  We were joined by Dr. Bernard LaFayette, who was also attacked that day as another target of a plan by the white supremacist organization the White Citizen's Council to kill prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement.

The full cast of Fate Comes Knocking performing.

Fate Comes Knocking addresses frankly issues of gender and other marginalized identities both within the movement and in how its represented now. 

Dr. Bernard LaFayette shares his reactions to the play - which were overwhelmingly gratitude and the desire to make sure the show is performed far and wide!

Institute participant Kojo poses with Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, the author of and performer in the play.

Notes from Nonviolence: Refining the Practice

Repetition was emphasized as a skill for effective trainers of the two-day Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation training.  Day Ten of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute had us practice repetition in a positive way.

Day Nine we were put into co-training teams and jumped into preparing and practicing the process of the training.  Today, we refined this through practice, feedback, practice, feedback, practice, feedback, more practice, and even more feedback.

As we built confidence and competence, we were able to integrate more of the desired effective training practices and develop our voices as trainers of this curriculum.  All of this is in preparation for Day Eleven where we are assessed by the lead trainers for our ability to do the process of the curriculum (we were assessed on Day Six for our mastery of the content).

That's our final step for achieving Level I certification.  Please wish all our teams - especially Team 8, to which I belong - well in this assessment!

Our practice group, Team 7 & Team 8, at the end of the day with a friend!
Front left to right: Me, Kalisa, Kojo, Betty, Melissa, Tenzin
Back left to right: Ryan (training coach), Arjun, Joe, Vanes (training coach), Abdullahi 

Notes from Nonviolence: Waging Peace

The evening program for Day Nine of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute was much anticipated by institute participants and the community at large:  Paul Chappell spoke on The Art of Waging Peace.

Paul Chappell spoke about the importance of understanding violence and why we should have hope in nonviolence

Paul is a West Point alum, veteran of the Iraq War, and is Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  A peace activist, he is author of several books on war, killing, and nonviolence.

He highlighted a quote from Gandhi, which I'll paraphrase:  If humans are naturally or inherently violent, then Gandhi's methods won't work.

He also gave a powerful metaphor: Doctors learn to heal and promote health by learning about disease and injury.  Similarly, he says, nonviolent leaders and peace activists need to learn about violence if we want to create effective change.

Paul cited work that provides a lot of evidence that we are not violent by nature - particularly research on how violence-averse we are as people and how this parallels greatly with research on mammals (and other animals) on how they actively work to avoid unnecessary violence.

A key takeaway he gave our group was an understanding of how we distance ourselves - in modern times and throughout several millennia of war history - in order to be able to act violently towards others:

• Psychological Distancing - Dehumanizing others so that we don't feel as though we are harming another human.  War propaganda materials provided visual evidence of this.
• Moral Distancing - Convincing ourselves that we have a moral imperative to enact this violence.  Military movements that frame themselves as "saving" or "liberating" the people of the country they're invading are an example of this.
• Mechanical Distancing - Creating a physical distance from the violence we're enacting.  For example, using a long-distance rifle or using remote-controlled drones to kill others.

This is not the speech he gave last night, but this video gives an example of the kind of program Paul provides:

Notes from Nonviolence: Jumping In

Day Nine of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Program is all about practicing leading the training.  After a week of learning the content of the two-day Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation training, then a day on key practices of effective facilitation, we began doing "teach backs" where we practiced teaching modules of the training.

To support us in doing this well, the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies brought in several Level II certified trainers with much practical experience to help us practice, give feedback, and help us apply that feedback in more practice.

While most of the time we'll be presenting the training with two or three trainers total, many of our groups practiced with four so that we'd have extra support.  I worked with Ms. Betty of Wheaton College, Kalisa from the Nigeria government, and Tenzin from an Indian NGO.  We alternated being participants and practice trainers with another group: Arjun from a Nepali NGO, Kojo from an Ghanian nonviolence program for youth, and Melissa & Joe, two doctoral students in School Psychology at URI.

This process continues for another day.  Thursday we have a practical assessment of our training skills and adherence to the curriculum, which is our final qualification for earning our Level I certification.

Arjun, Kojo, Melissa, and Joe (left to right) teaching our group about Kingian Nonviolence

Notes from Nonviolence: Beloved Community Supper

The evening of Day Eight at the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute involved many special treats:

• A US-focused meal prepared by several local community groups/sangas
• A performance by one of the talented musicians from the Level II training
• Presentations of several scholarships that participants received to participate in the trainings
• Presentations on two of our classmate's work in their home countries
• A community reading of King's "I Have a Dream" speech

Recipients of student scholarships being recognized

Shane sings us an original composition "Hold On"

Purnima talks about her work with Early Childhood Development Center, which her family founded to support children who were living in prison with their mothers in Nepal

Alfred talks about his work with Family Focus International in Ghana

Notes from Nonviolence: Moving into Effective Training

The second week of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute is all about preparing us to lead the  curriculum of the two-day Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation workshop.

With that in mind, Day Eight start with our final major review of the core content of the curriculum.  We then moved into a structural overview of the training and into key practices of effective Nonviolence trainers.

Photo credit: Thupten Tendhar

To anyone familiar with RAPP workshop facilitation, many of these will likely feel very familiar:

• Community - Practice the principles we'll be teaching that build the beloved community
• Goals - Keep our main curricular points of modules in mind so that we don't get lost on sidetracks
• Roadmap - Give participants an overview so they know where we're headed
• Participation - The group needs to be talking, not just the trainer
• Teamwork - Practice this with your co-trainers, the participants, and encourage them to practice it with each other
• Transitions - Make smooth transitions between modules to highlight the sequential nature of the content and help participants make connections
• Repetition Repetition Repetition - Say the material once, say it again in a different way, and the summarize & highlight takeaways for clarity
• Examples - Be prepared in advance with simple, easy to remember examples for when you want someone to better understand the content
• Summarize - Review material frequently while being succinct and to the point
• Debrief - This training is based on reflective and experiential learning - each module has at least one activity that needs to be debriefed
• Variety of formats - The curriculum encourages a wide variety of activities, do them!
• Communication - Be mindful of your voice, energy, and listen attentively
• Timing - There's a lot of content to cover over 16 hours, keep the goals in mind and pace according to the curriculum
• Movement - Move your body, move your hands, move your face; keep the group moving
• Visual Aids - Use key words, large print, avoid too many words and tiny print

Notes from Nonviolence: Restoring our Spirits

After an intensive week of 12+ hour days (including breaktime), we participants in the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute got a break!

Following the Level I knowledge assessment, we got Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday off.

Saturday evening, students from the Multicultural Center kindly helped us explore the state.  Many of us headed into Providence, RI, for a little touristing.

A group of us pose for a picture in front of the Rhode Island Statehouse

Checking out the Water Fire show

Another group shot from Providence's children's September 11 2011 Memorial

One of our training classmates who lives locally invited us to her house for lunch and relaxation for Sunday.  We enjoyed a delicious meal together then lounged, swam in the lake, visited with her animals, and played bocci ball.

Loading our plates full of delicious food!

Enjoying a lovely Rhode Island afternoon over a meal!

Notes from Nonviolence: Level I Assessment

Day Six of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute is a short but somewhat stressful one.  After a week of participating in, digging deep into, and studying the content of the two-day Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Resolution training we take an assessment of our knowledge.

In other words, we take a test!

The written assessment covers a wide range of theory, history, and King's philosophy.  Its twenty questions are as complex and rich as the training itself.  It takes 2-3 hours for most to complete.

Thankfully, our group has spent much time both in the formal training process and informally in our free time working to understand and remember the information.  The remaining week of training will involve us mastering how to facilitate the two-day curriculum.

The Forum, in URI's Multiculutural Center, is usually full of voices talking through nonviolence.  Today it was silent as we all completed the assessment.

Notes from Nonviolence: Gandhi and King

The evening program on Day Four of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute involved two guest speakers: Gandhi student & scholar Prasad Gollanapalli and Alex Supron, the 2013 winner of the Gandhi Essay Contest.

Mr. Gollanapalli is the Managing Trustee of the Gandhi King Foundation and an esteemed educator & practitioner of Gandhian Nonviolence.

Prasad Gollanapalli speaks about Gandhi with evening program participants.

He spoke to us first about Gandhi's life, so that we would know his start as a shy, scared, deemed-unintelligent child as well as his journey to developing his philosophy and framework of nonviolence.

A key message he shared was the eleven principles of Nonviolence, sometimes called "Gandhi's Vows," that he encouraged all to follow with humility care, and commitment:

• Ahimsa - Nonviolence 
• Satya - Truth
• Asteya - Nonstealing
• Brahmacharya - Celibacy/Sacred Sexuality
• Aparigraha - Nonconsumerism
• Sharira-Shrama - Physical Work
• Asvada- Avoidance of Bad Taste
• Abhaya - Fearlessness
• Sarva-Dharma-Samanatya - Respect for All Religions
• Swadeshi - Local Economy
• Asprishyataniyarana - Respect for All Beings (not just human beings)

Notes from Nonviolence: The Roots of Ahimsa

One of the many ways the University of Rhode Island Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies engages the community around nonviolence is through its annual Gandhi Essay Contest.  This contest is open to local 8th graders.

The evening program on Day Four of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute involved two guest speakers: Gandhi student & scholar Prasad Gollanapalli and Alex Supron, the 2013 winner of the essay contest.

Alex read his essay "The Roots of Ahimsa," which shared his initially reluctant journey into a life of service to others.

Soon, I'll post full audio of his reading.

Alex Supron, 2013 winner of the Ghandi Essay Contest

Notes from Nonviolence: Nonviolence is...

Days Four and Five of the 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute are spent reviewing and expanding our knowledge of the content of the two-day Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Resolution training.  We do this as part of our certification process to become certified as Level I Trainers, which includes formal assessment of our knowledge.

In this, we reviewed the brainstorms our group made on what violence and nonviolence mean:

These word clouds demonstrate our initial ideas as a group of people from around the world.  As it turns out, our group ideas are overwhelmingly in line with Kingian Nonviolence's principles.

Notes from Nonviolence: Mighty Times

The end of day three at the 12th Annual International Nonviolence Summer Institute featured a film and discussion on Mighty Times: The Children's March about the nonviolent movement to integrate Birmingham, AL.

This was followed by a Q+A with Dr. Bernard LaFayette, who participated in this movement teaching nonviolent strategy to people in Birmingham while also continuing to work on the Selma Voting Rights Campaign.

An insight he offered during the discussion was about the strategy (used in Birmingham and many other locations) of filling the jails.  While some leaders - King quite notably among them - were concerned and unhappy with children being at risk for police brutality and arrest, the young people showed up during the discussion and said they were going to do it anyway.

The strategy of filling the jails intentionally overburdened the legal system and helped people confront fear - particularly the fear that the people in power had used to "keep them in line"  in terms of fear of being incarcerated.  The oppressive system worked by maintaining people's fear, so literally overburdening the legal system with people who were unafraid to be arrested for this cause broke the system in two ways.

Notes from Nonviolence: Moving into Action

Day three of the 2013 International Nonviolence Summer Institute involved us wrapping up the second day of the two-day Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Resolution training we participants are being prepared over the next two weeks to present.

After a day and a half of being our knowledge of nonviolent leadership and action, we were given the opportunity to practice what we're learning.  We practiced applying the Six Principles and the Six Steps of Kingian Nonviolence and worked to build the beloved community through a series of experiential activities - the details of which I won't share so that you all can experience it fully when you take this same two-day training through SALD (coming this fall)!

These opportunities provided us time and space to practice in safety of community.  This gave us the chance to receive feedback and reflect on our actions.

We ended with a group celebration, sending our energy and love out through a group singing of We Shall Overcome.  I  can't think there was ever a time I was with a group of people who more deeply do believe that we will live in peace.  We are building and growing together the beloved community that will make it so.

Notes from Nonviolence: Pilgrimage

From the first to the second days of the Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation training, we had homework:  Among other things, we read King's Pilgrimage to Nonviolence (link is to impartial copy - it includes description of his pilgrimage but not the full description of the Six Principles of Nonviolence outlined at the end of the copy we read).

We started the morning of day two digging deep into this. We thought about, questioned, and discussed his journey as well as the nonviolent principles King outlined in detail in the Pilgrimage.  

We then moved through multiple models for effectively creating social change.  When Rev. Vivian emphasized the importance of strategy for effective nonviolent movements, this outlined key strategies to use.  These included the model of Aggression/Conciliation & the Dynamics of Social Conflict, the Hegelian approach to problem solving, and Top-Down/Bottom-Up Theory. This then led us into the Six Step of Kingian Nonviolence.  

Are you curious how to move the concept of nonviolence into effective action?  Then keep an eye out for SALD offering the two-day Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation training starting this fall!

A guest expert panel to whom we asked questions about the Six Principles of Nonviolence

Notes from Nonviolence: A Force More Powerful

The evening of Day Two of the two-week 12th International Nonviolence Summer Institute involved a special treat of an optional program:  A screening of the A Force More Powerful section on the Nashville movement starting in 1960 to integrate lunch counters and other public accommodations followed by a Q+A session with Rev. C.T. Vivian, a leader in this movement.

As someone who works primarily with university students, it was particularly moving to see how the movement involved a deeply rooted collaboration between university students and the Nashville community.

Throughout the discussion following the film, Rev. Vivian emphasized two key points to successful nonviolent movements:

• Successful nonviolent movements utilize nonviolent strategy.  A movement without strategy is unlikely to succeed at its goals.  Strategy also gives key motivation for the persistence and discipline needed for success.
• Successful nonviolent movements are intentional about relationships.  They must be built on mutual respect, connecting over shared vision, and practice the nonviolent principles behind the movement itself.

Rev. Vivian shared his insights with participants for 90 minutes.