Tag: Reverend Martin Luther King

And the Beat Goes On: 100 Living Peace and Justice Leaders and Models, List 4, Part 3.

Posted on by kathiemm
Poster at Rededication ceremony, Peace Abbey, July 29, 2018. Reprinted by permission.

by Kathie Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella

This fourth list of Living Peace and Justice Leaders continues our efforts to honor the life and work of Reverend Martin Luther-King, Jr.

These are increasingly dangerous times.  Peace and social justice activists like those cited in our four lists help us find ways to resist  rising fascism, racism, militarization, corruption, greed,  disregard for life, and utter contempt for a universal moral code like the Golden Rule.

These leaders and  mentors, and thousands of others like them, need followers but, even more than that, they need comrades–not comrades-in-arms but comrades advancing arm-in-arm  to work for causes that benefit all of humanity and indeed life on earth.  Learn more about these leaders.  Support their causes. Do not bow down to tyranny. Resist.

  1. Nyarwaya:  Eddy Kalisa Nyarwaya Jr. Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peace Building; President of the Alternatives to Violence Program
  2. Orlov: Dmitry Orlov,  predicts cultural, financial, commercial, and political collapse in US and elsewhere.
  3. Pauli: Richard Pauli, climate activist  
  4. Pepper: William F. Pepper,  attorney, investigator of assassinations, represented MLK’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit
  5. Pitt: William Rivers Pitt,Teacher, writer, political activist
  6. Prasad: Surya Nath Prasad, writer, Transcend Media Services, supporter of universal peace education
  7. Prysner: Michael Prysner:  S. army veteran, political activist
  8. Priest:  Dana Priest,investigative reporter, Washington  Post, Top Secret America book 
  9. Pulley: Aislinn Pulley,  Chicago Black Lives Matter, African American leader   
  10. Quam: Lois Quam, activist for health care and the environment. 
  11. Reimer: Kevin Reimer,  peace psychology professor
  12. Richards: Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood  
  13. Richtman: Max Richtman, President/CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare 
  14. Schindler: Stefan Schindler,  Peace scholar, poetry for peace activist 
  15. Seed: John Seed, Saving the Rain Forests 
  16. Stevenson: Bryan Stevenson, Slavery Museum
  17. Stone: Oliver Stone, film maker
  18. Sulik: Gayle Sulik, Breast Cancer Founder
  19. Sundarajan: Louise Sundarajan, Indigenous Psychologies 
  20. Tatour: Dareen Tatour, Palestinian citizen of Israel charged with inciting violence with her poetry. 
  21. Thapa: Lily Thapa, Single Women for Human Rights in Nepal
  22. Theoharis: Liz Theoharis Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
  23. Todhunter: Colin Todhunter, writer, critic of international agribusinesses. 
  24. Toon: Brian Toon  climate research 
  25. Torres-Rivera: Edil Torres Rivera,  LatinoX  Counseling for Social Justice activist 
  26. Townsend: David Townsend, J.D., Attorney, Mediator, Activist
  27. Turbeville: Brandon Turbeville Writer for Activist Post, host of Truth on the Tracks, a weekly news roundup serving as a hub for activists, information, and solutions.
  28. Tverberg:  Gail Tverberg,    Energy and Peak Oil Analyst 
  29. Vitchek: Andre Vitchek, revolutionary, internationalist, and globetrotter fighting Western imperialism 
  30. Vilkomerson: Rebecca Vilkomerson,  Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace 
  31. Wagner: Richard Wagner, peace psychology pioneer.
  32. Wallace: Timmon Milne Wallis, Director of Peaceworkers UK.
  33. Ward: Eric K. Ward, long-time civil rights strategist
  34. Wedler: Carey Wedler, Editor, Anti-Media
  35. West: Doe West, Native American scholar, pastor, social justice activist, disability rights advocate.
  36. White:  James A. White Jr., Prisoner who started numerous educational programs for prisoners
  37.  Wolff: Richard D. Wolff,  Author, Marxist economist 
  38. Yumbo: Elisvan Greffa Yumbo, Peruvian activist fighting for protection of Amazon waters from oil industry.  
  39. Young: Andrew Young civil rights activist, U.S. Representative, Pastor, diplomat, mayor, educator.
  40. Zimoz: Sergey Zimov, climate change activist working to preserve life in the Artic
    And remember to vote in November.
    1. This week’s posts have been adapted from a longer one on Transcend Media Services. See https://www.transcend.org/tms/2018/08/100-living-peace-and-justice-leaders-and-models-list-4/

100 Living Peace and Justice Leaders and Models: List 4, Part 1

Posted on by kathiemm
Peace March – a painting by Reginald Pollack from the Collection of the Lowe Art Museum. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

by Kathie Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella

This Fourth List of Living Peace and Justice Leaders continues our efforts to honor the life and work of Reverend Martin Luther-King, Jr.  Reverend King’s legacy of peace, justice, and non-violence changed the world, inspiring  hope in those whose lives are oppressed by the evils of racism and the abuses of political rank and status.

We are eternally grateful for Reverend King’s efforts to free people and nations from the brutal oppressions imposed by governments, nations, societies, organizations, and individuals. Our spirits are buoyed by the thousands of living peace and justice leaders  whose activism and advocacy insure Reverend King’s sacrifices will not be forgotten.

LIST 4, Part 1

The presence of peace and justice advocates and activists across time and place are testimony to the enduring human spirit to resist oppression, to claim liberty, and to endure, even at the cost of life. Individuals recognized on Lists 1- 4 are part of the tradition of resistance to oppression and  commitment to peace and justice though non-violence.  They occupy a special “sacred” status in our minds and hearts for their efforts to advance the human condition.

And then there are the beautiful and inspiring words from the Sermon on the Mount, resonating across time and place: “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5.9 KJV).

Today we present the first 30 names in our newest List of Living Peace and Justice Leaders and Models.  We thank them for their efforts and sacrifices.

LIST 4

  1. Al-Obaidi: Abdul Kareem Al-Obaidi, mental health advocate for victims of war and terrorism 
  2. Ashy: Majed Ashy,  advocate for peace and human rights as pre-requisites for mental and physical health 
  3. Arkin: William Arkin,  investigative reporter, Washington Post,  Top Secret America   
  4. Atkinson: Moya Atkinson,   social worker, addresses prisoner isolation
  5. Atran: Scott Atran, anthropologist, studies terrorism 
  6. Bamford: James Bamford, author, journalist, focuses on NSA
  7. Beam:  Amy L. Beam, humanitarian assistance for Yazidis
  8. Beydoun: Khaled Beydoun, expert on institutionalization of Islamophobia
  9. Billoo: Zahra Billoo, civil rights activist, exec. director San Francisco Bay Area chapter Council on American Islamic Relations
  10. Bourgeois:  Father Roy Bourgeois ,  founder of the human rights group School of the Americas Watch 
  11. Boyce-Simms: Pamela Boyce-Simms, Convenes the Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub (MATH), a six-state network of environmental activists
  12. Braun: Marie Braun, anti-nuclear weapons activist
  13. Bronzaft: Arline Bronzaft,   environmental psychologist, activist & leader
  14. Brown:  Craig Brown, progressive community organizer  
  15. Benjamin: Medea Benjamin, co-founder Code Pink
  16. Chailert: Lek Chailert (Thailand), Elephant Nature Park Care
  17. Chung: Rita  Chung, GMU professor Global Refugee Trauma Work
  18. Cohn: Marjorie Cohn, legal scholar, political analyst, social critic
  19. Conley: Julia Conley, staff writer Common Dreams 
  20. Corbett: Jessica Corbett,  Common Dreams writer 
  21. Cunningham: Finian Cunningham,  newspaper journalist focusing on international affairs  
  22. Daley-Harris: Sam Daley-Harris,  hunger eradication advocate and democracy activist    
  23. Dariyani: Angad Dariyani  Aims at solving large-scale problems for developing countries like India
  24. Davis: Martha Davis, film director, On the dark side 
  25. Dellums: Ronald Dellums, civil rights and anti-war activist
  26. Desai: Miraj Desai, researcher focusing on cultural, community, and social justice perspectives on mental health
  27. Dharm: Bhawuk Dharm, research on cultural sensitivity, ethics, whistle-blowing
  28. Dorrel: Frank Dorrel, anti-war film maker 
  29. Dueck:  Alvin Dueck,  peace psychology teacher   
  30. Ecklein: Joan Ecklein, peace and social justice activist

Celebrating Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s Legacy, Part 2

Posted on by kathiemm
Martin Luther King Jr, at a press conference / World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin, 8 June 1964. No known copyright restrictions

 

 

By Kathie Malley-Morrison &  Anthony J. Marsella

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is gone, but his legacy of peace, justice, and nonviolence endures. Hallelujah!

Celebrating that legacy should not be consigned to one day. Let’s strive for an MLK week, an MLK year, an eternally more peaceful and just society.

In that spirit, this week we honor the memory of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, civil rights leader, social activist, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. His words and actions sustain those who remain prisoners of poverty, hatred, and violence, and continue to inspire thousands of peace advocates and activists.

Out of those thousands, we are nominating 100 living peace activists for the MLK Peace & Social Justice Team. Compiling this list of advocates and activists was challenging but also  inspiring, as each activist we identified added to our hope for the better world Reverend King envisioned.

The activists we are proposing for the MLK team are not angels; they are not flawless. They are human beings, with the kinds of flaws and frustrating qualities that exist in all of us to greater or lesser extents; however,  in our view, they are doing more good than bad, more helping than hurting, and are striving to make the world a better place for more people.

In our next post, we will describe the qualities that are particularly characteristic of the individuals whom we are nominating as exemplars of the peace and social justice movement. Please comment on those qualities and offer your own view of what it takes to be a peace leader.In subsequent posts, we will provide the names of our 100 nominees for upholders of the MLK legacy. The list is part of an evolving effort to bring recognition and authority to those whose work for social justice, nonviolence, and peace demands attention, support, and gratitude.

You can help: please nominate yourself or others for inclusion (and include a website address or link where possible). Join us in promoting the MLK legacy as an antidote to the hatred, violence, and destruction that seem so prominent in today’s world. If we join together, we can overcome.