Gandhi Nonviolence Rally
United for Peace Coalition hosted a Gandhi Nonviolence Rally on October 2. The rally took place at the Free Speech Pavilion in Downtown Naperville.
“We are celebrating Gandhi’s birthday which has been declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Nonviolence,” said Shalini Gupta, president of United for Peace. “Gandhi was a leader who taught the world how to make change happen through nonviolent methods. Martin Luther King in the civil rights learned from Gandhi and applied the same principal of nonviolence.”
United for Peace
Gupta said United for Peace’s mission is to create a strong community through mutual respect, inclusion, nonviolence and peace. They work with other peace partner organizations and interfaith organizations to further their mission.
“We have a statement that our coalition partners have put together on racial justice where we support the fight for justice and equity for all, but we also implore all protests to be peaceful,” said Gupta.
Multiple Speakers
The rally also included multiple speakers.
“Both men [Gandhi and Martin Luther King] took on the challenge of civil disobedience by taking a stand against the deep disease of color prejudice,” said Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership.
“I think about the Freedom Riders and they were peaceful. And you see the impact of how they were when they were nonviolent because there were a lot of people expecting them to be violent,” said Naperville Councilman Benny White.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
If you have a story idea or news tip you want to share, we want to hear from you!