Studying theories and practices of nonviolence can open one’s eyes to the amount of power an “ordinary” individual possesses. We tend to think of people like Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr., using these practices and say to ourselves, “They were unusual; I am not like that.” But the practices involved are things that each of us can use in our everyday lives; they are not just for large dramatic causes.
It’s also worth noting what “ordinary people” have accomplished when they banded together. The largest event of the civil rights years was not the March on Washington (although that was highly impressive); it was the NY city school boycott organized by high school students.
Interested in exploring this further? Sign up for PHL 216 Violence and Nonviolence for the Spring 2024 semester (TR 2:30-3:45). Contact Dr. Paul at linda.paul@wilkes.edu for more information.