By Mike Greife,
February 2, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi, the historic
leader of the independence movement in British-ruled India, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday,
Feb. 17, in Hendricks Hall at the University of Central Missouri.
Gandhi, the founder of the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at the University
of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., and the Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute, is
the keynote speaker for UCM’s Unity Week, Feb. 15-18. The event is free and open to
the public.
Gandhi will speak on “Be the Change: Discussing Racism in the U.S. and Student Activism.”
Born and raised in apartheid-era South Africa, Gandhi experienced discrimination and
became the victim of racial violence as a child. At the age of 12, he was sent to
live with his grandfather in India, where he observed firsthand the profound national
campaign for liberation through nonviolent means. He went on to lead successful economic
and social reforms in India before coming to the United States, where he and his late
wife, Sunanda, founded the institutes.
Arun Gandhi seeks to further the study and practice of nonviolence while also providing
a unique source of information about his grandfather. By continuing his grandfather’s
work, he has been able to provide insight into one of history’s most influential leaders
and has continued to stress the importance of nonviolence around the globe as a solution
for the world’s problems.
For his work at the institute, Arun Gandhi was presented with the Peace Abbey Courage
of Conscience Award at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. In 1996, he cofounded
the Season for Nonviolence as a yearly celebration of the philosophies and lives of
Mohandas Gandhi and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
UCM’s Unity Week is sponsored by Spotlight, UCM’s student programming organization,
in collaboration with the Social Justice and Diversity Committee; the Office of Violence
and Substance Abuse Prevention; the Office of Mentoring, Advocacy, and Peer Support;
Association of Black Collegians, and Africana Studies. Financial assistance for Gandhi’s
presentation is provided by the American Democracy Project at UCM.
