Showing posts with label Martin Luther King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King. Show all posts

Friday, May 18, 2007

Six Principles and Six Steps of Nonviolence

...as developed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


the 6 Principles

  1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

  2. Nonviolence means seeking friendship and understanding among those who are different from you.

  3. Nonviolence defeats injustice, not people.

  4. Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform people and societies.

  5. Nonviolence chooses loving solutions, not hateful ones.

  6. Nonviolence means the entire universe embraces justice.


The 6 Steps

  1. Gather Information Learn all you can about the problems you see in your community through the media, social and civic organizations, and by talking to the people involved.

  2. Educate Others Armed with your new knowledge, it is your duty to help those around you, such as your neighbors, relatives, friends and co-workers, better understand the problems facing society. Build a team of people devoted to finding solutions. Be sure to include those who will be directly affected by your work.

  3. Remain Committed Accept that you will face many obstacles and challenges as you and your team try to change society. Agree to encourage and inspire one another along the journey.

  4. Peacefully Negotiate Talk with both sides. go to the people in your community who are in trouble and who are deeply hurt by society's ills. Also go to those people who are contributing to the breakdown of a peaceful society. Use humor, intelligence and grace to lead to solutions that benefit the greater good.

  5. Take Action Peacefully This step is often used when negotiation fails to produce results, or when people need to draw broader attention to a problem. it can include tactics such as peaceful demonstrations, letter-writing and petition campaign.

  6. Reconcile Keep all actions and negotiations peaceful and constructive. Agree to disagree with some people and with some groups as you work to improve society. Show all involved the benefits of changing, not what they will give up by changing.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change



Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America’s greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.


More than 650,000 visitors from all over the world are drawn annually to the King Center to pay homage to Dr. King, view unique exhibits illustrating his life and teachings and visit the King Center’s Library, Archives, his final resting place, his birth home, gift shop and other facilities. Located in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, The King Center utilizes diverse communications media, including books, audio and video cassettes, film, television, CDs and web pages, to reach out far beyond its physical boundaries to educate people all over the world about Dr. King’s life, work and his philosophy and methods of nonviolent conflict-reconciliation and social change.


In these web pages, you will find invaluable resources to become informed about Dr. King and the ongoing efforts to fulfill his great dream of the Beloved Community for America and the world. With your support, The King Center will make a major contribution to preparing coming generations of Dr. King’s followers to carry forward his unfinished work into the 21st century.