BACKGROUND
A Season for Nonviolence is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign, inspired by the memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  A Season honors their vision for a nonviolent world that that honors the dignity and worth of every human being. 

Purpose:               Create an awareness of        nonviolent principles and practice as a powerful way to

                             heal, transform and empower people’s lives and their communities.

Goal:                    Demonstrate that every person can move the world in the direction of peace through their daily nonviolent choice and action.

History

In 1997 Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was inspired to commemorate the upcoming 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Gandhi and King. Out of this vision, A Season for Nonviolence was born to celebrate and carry on the work of these two great men and of all those who have helped move the world in the direction of peace.   In 1998, the 64-day "Season" was launched nationally with opening ceremonies at the United Nations. Task forces in 111 U.S. cities and 10 countries initiated a powerful grassroots campaign to bring to life the spirit and practice of nonviolence as a powerful way to heal, transform and empower individuals and communities.   In 1999 and 2000, the Season grew to include over 220 cities in the U.S. and abroad.  This endorsement brought into full public focus the rich spectrum of grassroots projects and programs by individuals and organizations that are pro-actualizing a culture of peace.

“We must be the change we wish to see.”   M.K. Gandhi

December 2006 

Dear Peacemaker, 

You are cordially invited to join with us and others in St. Clair County and beyond, in observing A Season for Nonviolence, which will take place January 30th through April 4th.  The first Season for Nonviolence was inaugurated in 1998 to honor the 54th and 34th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Their vision of a nonviolent world inspired a grassroots campaign intending to demonstrate that every person can move the world in the direction of peace through daily choice and action based on compassion, respect and understanding.  Each of the sixty-four days in the season offers participants a chance to put a set of daily practices to work in their lives.

As the local sponsor of this event, our chapter is calling local citizens and organizations into action with this invitation to be part of this observance.  The 64-day campaign seeks to promote nonviolent practice in our community with programs and projects such as these:

• Prayer Vigils

• Restorative Justice/Conflict Resolution Workshops

• Public Sing Alongs

• Peace Concerts    

• Workshops on Nonviolence      

• Book Studies

• Community Forums on diversity                  

• Youth Organization Projects

 We call upon your expertise and vision for a nonviolent world to plan an activity or project and list it on our 64-day calendar.  At the opening ceremony on January 30th we will invite you or a representative from your group to declare your pledges of nonviolence and describe the activity that you have planned.  The Opening Ceremony will take place in the Garfield School auditorium, 1221 Garfield in Port Huron and will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. The program will be an evening of inspiration, song, and celebration, leading participants into sixty-four days of daily practices that foster a nonviolent life style.

Thank you for your consideration. Should you choose to participate, please request a  Statement of Participation and mail it to us in the envelope provided, or fax it to (810) 985-3288 by Friday, January 26th. Together we can make a difference in our community and in the lives of our children whose future is dependent upon our choices.

We are who we have been waiting for.

Lyn Chabot,       

Coordinator, Blue Water Season for Nonviolence

 “At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.”    ~Martin Luther King, Jr.~