The 148th Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi will be observed from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Peace Garden at Fresno State. University President Joseph I. Castro has issued a proclamation declaring Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 as “Stop The Hate, Stop The Violence Week: Build A Culture Of Peace Commemoration.”
Also featured will be a candlelight vigil for world peace in the name of Gandhi, apostle of peace and nonviolence, also known as the father of human rights in the 20th century and patron saint of peace movement globally, said event organizer Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, Professor Emeritus of Social Work and Peace and Conflict Studies.
In the proclamation, Castro calls on all members of the campus and community to join together in dialogue and reflection (see link at http://bit.ly/FS-GandhiProclam17).
“Each member of our community is asked to make a difference in the moral and social climate by participating in this effort to reduce hate violence and to build a culture of peace throughout the year,” he declares. “We will all work together to form a stronger community and to promote dignity for ourselves and others; and we will all work together to celebrate community and our participation in it, and to act responsibly and with a commitment to uphold peace, equality and justice for all.”
He said that Fresno State “will neither condone nor tolerate hate-related acts in our community.”
Fresno State’s 27th annual observance is free and open to the public and includes a garlanding and flower ceremony in addition to messages by special guest speakers, a musical tribute, a classical Indian dance, a pledge against hate and violence, meditation.
Special guest speakers will be Dr. Joaquin Arambula, 31st District Assemblymember, and Professor Fred E. Woods of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
A photo exhibition, “The Life Of Mahatma Gandhi,” will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11 in the Henry Madden Library.
The events are sponsored by Indian Students Club at Fresno State; the PAX 110 Class – Peace Building and Conflict Transformation in the Peace and Conflict Studies Program; the Department of Philosophy; Cross Cultural and Gender Center; Soka Gakkai International – USA, Fresno; Trabajadores de la Raza student club; United Hindu Coalition of Central California; and the Gandhi Memorial Education Fund.
For more information, contact Kapoor at 559.435.2212, 559.862.9663 or 559.278.-2621.
