By Samuel Rubenfeld
Sponsored by the University’s new Center for Civic Engagement, a capacity crowd filled the Student Center Theater on Friday night to hear a speech from a civil rights leader about the legacy of nonviolence, and its influence on the future.
Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, dean of Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, delivered a speech to honor an exhibit held at the University. The exhibit is dedicated to the legacies of peace left by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King and Daisaku Ikeda.
It was the first event sponsored by Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement, which, according to its mission statement, was created to “strengthen democratic values by encouraging students to participate actively as knowledgeable citizens in their communities.”
When describing the reason to form the Center of Civic Engagement, Associate Professor Cynthia Bogard, the Center’s director stressed the importance of tolerance and peace through knowledge.
“To preserve the rule of the people, we must endeavor to be informed and involved citizens, for there are always those that love power more than democracy,” she said.
Carter began the exhibit at Morehouse College and it has traveled around the world. It is co-sponsored by Morehouse and Soka Gakkai International-USA, organization of where Ikeda serves as president. Ikeda is considered to be the living embodiment of the ideals of both Gandhi and King.
Gandhi and King had no enemies, according to Carter. “They had compassion and respect for their opposition,” he said. “They recognized the humanity even of their oppressors.”
Carter spoke of a shift in human consciousness. “It is said by many that over 50 million people in the United States, and a much larger number worldwide, have already crossed over from Homo sapiens sapiens to Homo universialis,” he said. “We must learn to embrace the whole [world].”
He added that the government and multinational corporations should look to make “people” the center of policy, foreign and domestic, as Gandhi and King believed. “The unfortunate thing about most of our corporate and governmental policies is that persons get marginalized and profits are put at the vortex,” he said.
Carter handed out awards to three local individuals for peaceful works throughout their careers and lives. Civil Rights Attorney Fred Brewington received the first award.
“What is important is that we live justice; that we be peace and that we don’t let it stray from our daily thoughts and lives,” Brewington said, as he shared with the audience advice his mother had given him.
Martin Melkonian, an adjunct associate professor of economics and geography at the University, and his wife Margaret, a co-founder of the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, were the other recipients.
“[Melkonian has] educated the public about the war orientation of the American economy and encouraged important discussion about shifting the focus to sustainable economic endeavors,” Carter said.
Carter also added that one must be an active participant in order to achieve peace. “It is obvious that governments cannot give us peace,” he said. “We must give peace to one another.”
The Ghandi, King, Ikeda exhibit can be found in the main dining hall at the student center.