Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. The first of 6 Nonviolence Principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thirty-five years ago, Martin Luther King Day became a federal holiday. However, it wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states recognized it as a national holiday. How fitting to revisit these universal laws, just two days before the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of color to become Vice President.
The first time I heard of MLKs, 6 Principles of Nonviolence was in February 1998. My principal, Mr. Berman, strolled into my classroom and announced that we were taking part in a new initiative. Our school was chosen to offer a class based on Dr. King’s principles of nonviolence and I was going to teach it. At the time our school was laden with gangs and fights broke out on a regular basis.
That was my second year in the classroom and I was up for the challenge. As much as I loved my job and my students and being chosen to teach this class, I was nervous because I had no idea where to begin, and if I failed, my students failed. Mr. Berman reassured me that someone from the district would come to the school and teach the curriculum – I was more of a helper.
The next morning, twenty three angry students stood at my door with more in common than they realized. When they entered the room, they sat as far apart from each other as possible. Although many lived in the same neighborhood and spent the last ten years in school together, they were in rival gangs which meant that they were mortal enemies.
These teens were furious; they were pulled from electives (that and lunch were the only things they looked forward to each day) and forced into my class. The principal, assistant principals, and counselors, hand selected each student who had been labeled as troubled and at risk of being kicked out of school and/or not graduating.
Violence was their world. My babies (mostly sophomores and juniors) lived in survival mode and the idea that the Universe was on the side of justice (Principle 6) was foreign to them. In their mind it was a dog eat dog world and only the strong survived. So in order to survive, they had to be the strongest. They took one look at me and questioned how a woman who was nothing like them, was going to teach them to be “nonviolent” without ever walking in their shoes or understanding the rules of where they came from. I questioned how I was going to get them to see that Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people (principle 1) when they were taught to fight back and that walking away from conflict implied you were weak. I was horrified when a few shared a common threat from parents. “Lose a fight, and get whipped when you come home.”
As promised, for the first few weeks in the program, two women whose name I can’t recall, came religiously to my class and taught us the history of the civil rights movement and the Principles of Nonviolence. For whatever reason, over time, their visits became more sporadic, then they stopped altogether. Luckily, I paid attention to the lectures because my role quickly changed from helper to teacher. I became very familiar with these principles and saw first hand how they could transform the lives of those that applied them.
During the next four months, I took these adolescents out of their comfort zone. We dissected each of the principles, role played, meditated, did breathwork, and worked on their internal dialogue. By creating a safe and sacred space, they opened up, and shared personal stories. These courageous shares erased imaginary borders, empathy replaced judgement, and a new “gang” formed. As Principle 2 states, “Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.” I can’t say that friendships were formed but they did better understand each other.
Slowly but surely, my nonviolent practitioners moved from their prospective neighborhood’s in the classroom into the common grounds (the middle of the room). Whether they were cognizant of it or not, they actually started to get along and I might be so bold to say, like each other.
For their final project, they had to demonstrate an understanding of each of Dr. King’s principles and how they could be applied to “real life”. The only other stipulation, everyone had to participate.
And they did. They worked tirelessly on their version of a talk show similar to the Jerry Springer show and performed in front of their peers. We invited the principal, assistant principal, and other dignitaries from the district to watch their performance. I don’t believe any of them came. If you weren’t privy to the day-to-day interactions or witnessed the process that these teens went through to be able to work cohesively you may not have been impressed by their performance. I was gleaming.
It would be misleading to say that my students never got in trouble again or bought into the philosophy of nonviolence hook, line, and sinker. However, I know that beliefs and attitudes that took years to form were being challenged and new paradigms created.
After writing this, I reached out to a few of my former students and asked them if and what they remembered about the class.
Here’s what Erick Wilson said, “ Well I don’t remember everything word for word but I can give you a summary of what I took from the class. First of all, I would like to thank you sincerely for your courage and patience. We gave you a hard time at first. Now as far as the principles, ‘Non violence is a way of life for courageous people’. The thing that stands out is “way of life” meaning. we have to work towards it everyday…I made it my mission to think about my actions … {and} control my emotions so that I don’t lash out. …that changed my life and opened doors that might not have been opened if I had not learned that the bigger man is the one who deescalates the situation.”
As we commemorate Dr. King, let us revisit these principles and reflect upon our own life. And remember that LOVE always WINS.
Dr. King’s 6 Principles of Nonviolence
Source: KingInstitute.Stanford.edu
1. PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
It is active nonviolent resistance to evil. It is aggressive spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
2. PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.
3. PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people.The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil not people.
4. PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation.Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.
5. PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.
6. PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win. Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.
