Global Nonviolence Initiative

In January 2011, Martin Luther King III will mark his father’s birthday by announcing the creation of a Global Nonviolence Initiative (GNI) to the world community. The purpose of the effort is to spread the message of nonviolence to all levels of global society, thereby laying the groundwork for an international movement that embraces nonviolence as a viable response to conflict in all its forms.

Through its program division, Realizing the Dream, the King Center has been gradually developing the initiative since mid-2009, and its 2010 programming has sought to bring it more fully to scale. Over the past year the Center has carried out nonviolence efforts in Bosnia Herzegovina, Israel & Palestine and Sri Lanka, with additional projects in Brazil, India, Kenya and the United States due by year’s end. Taken together, these projects will culminate in January 2011, when the King Center hosts the first International Conference on Nonviolence, a large-scale event convening thought-leaders, policy-makers and activists from around the globe.

Unlike other efforts that have called for merely a symbolic endorsement of nonviolence, this initiative will emphasize the need to actually implement nonviolence across all levels of society—from government policies to individuals’ daily actions. The mission of the initiative will be to champion the modern day power of nonviolence by calling for a global commitment to nonviolent action, education and public policy. To serve that mission, the initiative will include four core strategies:

1. Nonviolence Training & Education - Through a mix of nonviolence workshops, conferences and online training materials, the initiative will seek to educate a new generation about the relevancy of Kingian nonviolence today.

2. Leadership & Community Dialogue - To build off its foundation of education and training, one of the core components of the GNI will be to foster dialogue amongst leaders from all sectors of society, including government, civil society and the religious sphere. To take place on the international, regional, national and community levels, the purpose of these engagements will be to encourage collaborative, meaningful discussion on how nonviolence can be utilized to confront the pressing problems of today.

3. Direct Engagements - The first step in the GNI has been a series of direct engagements by the Center’s leadership and staff, projects that will continue throughout the life of the initiative. Each of these physical efforts will be devoted to specific, immediate problems – such as political crises or pressing social injustices – that could potentially be ameliorated through the Center’s direct involvement.

4. Call to Action Campaign - The initiative will also seek to usher in an international movement that challenges ordinary citizens, especially youth, to carry out concrete acts of nonviolence in their own communities.

1. Read the International Declaration of Nonviolence!

Become part of the initiative by taking a look at our Action Center and becoming a drum major for peace in your community!