Kingian Nonviolence

Our curriculum is based on the Six Principles and Six Steps of Kingian Nonviolence, the fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy as described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In the Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence Two-Day Core Workshop participants receive an overview of the life, work and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and they explore how this philosophy of nonviolence can be applied to confront injustice and build towards the Beloved Community. By learning and analyzing Dr. King’s Six Principles of nonviolence as well as his Six Step methodology, attendees become familiar with a viable, practical, and historically effective map for how to create lasting social change through nonviolent direct action; and how to dig deep below conflicts to find true reconciliation. Trainees will also be introduced to conflict dynamics: types, levels and strategies for reconciliation. They learn the salient points of major civil rights campaigns, including the Chicago Freedom Movement, and reflect on the ingredients which made them successful. Using a variety of interactive techniques, participants also reflect together on how to apply teachings in our current environments.

ORIGIN OF CURRICULUM

The curriculum for this workshop, designed by Dr. Bernard LaFayette and David Jehnsen, has been taught and implemented in countries around the world, such as Nigeria, Columbia, South Africa, Mexico and the Middle East. Dr. LaFayette was a close friend and confidant of Dr. King, a movement activist, minister, educator, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and director of the Selma Voting Rights Campaign. He is considered a global authority on the strategy of nonviolent social change and has created this curriculum as a response to Dr. King’s mandate that the next step for his work be the institutionalization and internationalization of nonviolence.