365 Dr. King quote

100 Days of Nonviolence

Day 2

Opening Breath and Affirmation: 

Take a few deep breaths and say, I will be Nonviolent by leaving “common” behind. I will reject commonality by respecting the opinions of others.

Quote of the Day: 

“Conflict within a human relationship system is as natural as ‘bad’ weather. How we respond to conflict is a choice.”  -Nadezda Shapkina

Today in Social Movement History: 

On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.

Stories for Tuesday & Thursday: 

Women in Nigeria Take Nonviolent Action for Change

Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest oil producer and the United States’ fifth largest supplier, yet many Nigerians do not share in this teeming wealth.  Intent on changing this disparity, in the summer of 2002 hundreds of unarmed Nigerian women of the Ugborodo and Arutan communities dramatically occupied ChevronTexaco’s key oil terminal in the country, bringing petroleum production to a sudden halt.  After ten dramatic days, the women reached a landmark pact with the company to provide jobs, infrastructure, and economic empowerment in villages long mired in poverty.   
 
As an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune commented, “In the best traditions of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, several hundred Nigerian women took a nonviolent stand for their country. Ranging in age from 25 to 90 -- some with infants strapped to their backs -- the women held a successful sit-in at ChevronTexaco’s Escravos facility in Nigeria's oil-rich delta.  Without firing a shot or injuring a soul, they shut down an operation that produces a half million barrels of oil a day. In the end, they accomplished what their men could not, and what their government should have done long ago.” (“Nigerian women / Protest wins oil company attention,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 20, 2002).
 
From Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living (Session 9: The Power of Action, page 181) Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service.

Activity of the Day: 

Many people make the conscious choice to practice nonviolence in their daily lives. They share why here on video. If you have the time and the tools, make your own! Film yourself making a short statement explaining why you choose nonviolence rather than violence and upload it to The King Center's Facebook page, and use the hashtag #choosenonviolence there and on Twitter. We will find it and choose 50 of the best videos to share with the world!

Respond: 

How did you deal with any conflict you experienced today?

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