|
For the third consecutive year,
Dubuque will join people from across the globe in celebrating the United
Nations International Day of Peace on Sept. 21. This year’s focus is an
exploration of alternatives to violence – there are other ways!
 Featured
speaker will be Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi. This
FREE event will be held at the Alumni Center Ballroom, Loras College at 7
p.m. A short Intercollegiate Choral Concert will set the tone as
prelude.
Professor Gandhi will draw on his
extensive global experience as a peace researcher and activist to
explore alternatives to violence in resolving conflicts.
The following day, he will speak at
Divine Word College in Epworth at 1:30 p.m. on the relevance of Mahatma
Gandhi’s wisdom for current and future leaders. This is also a FREE
event.
Professor Gandhi is Research
Professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Asian Studies and
Academic Director, Global Crossroads, at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. In 2009 and 2010 he served as the international
president of the NGO, Initiatives of Change.
In 1990, he led the delegation from
India to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Gandhi has worked
over the years for India-Pakistan and Hindu-Muslim reconciliation. Since
9/11, he has also worked to address the divide between the West and the
world of Islam.
He is the author of numerous books, including A Tale of Two Revolts: India 1857 and the American Civil War, which is available at the public library and River Lights Book Store. His previous book, a biography of Mahatma Gandhi, A True Story of a Man, His People and an Empire, received a prestigious award in 2007.
The Dubuque area community is
invited to celebrate those in this community working to end violence and
to become engaged in developing creative alternatives leading to
peace. As the sponsoring group of Dubuque –area residents affirms,
“Peace lies at the heart of each individual, all families, communities,
territories and nations. Peace is the dream we hope and strive for.” |
