I never imagined that I would ever have the incredible honor of speaking on the same panel as Mohandas Gandhi’s grandson.
I was one of the two students selected to represent Cal State LA on a panel for the annual Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA) Youth Peace Conference. SEA was founded in the 1970’s by a couple of young mothers who wanted to protect their kids from gang violence, and has become a full service professional agency that serves over 12,000 youth and families annually. The SEA community is made up of 17 education centers throughout Los Angeles, and brought a total of 400 students to the conference. The topic of the panel was to touch upon the morals and values of a non-violent peacemaker. The main guest speaker of the conference was Arun Gandhi, who is the fifth grandson of India’s legendary leader, Mohandas K. “Mahatma” Gandhi. Mr. Gandhi covered topics such as: non-violent peacemaking, lessons he learned from his grandfather, and the inner development and characteristics of a peacemaker. Following the panel, Mr. Gandhi spent 15 minutes giving the panelists feedback, and also shared insight into the life of his grandfather.
(Click link at the end of the article to see Mr. Gandhi and I speak)
During the conference, students from different schools gave presentations that covered subjects such as: poverty, homelessness, hunger, healthy relationships, cleaning up graffiti, canned food drives and making pledges to stop the hatred in the world. We also sang and danced as two SEA students were drumming and playing the guitar. There was an enlivening sense of unity and hope within the ballroom, and I began to feel a kinship with the kids.
The kids in the SEA community are incredibly powerful, and are learning how much they do matter. Many individuals within our society are completely unconscious of how special they are, nor do they have the interest in discovering how. These kids are often dehumanized and dismissed as being just a bunch of low-life gangbangers, who are violent and have nothing to contribute to society. When constantly given those messages, especially through the media, it is easy to take on those behaviors and fall into those roles. While there is truth in that some of the kids possess violent backgrounds, it is also very clear to me that they exude a lot of heart and soul. These kids are very real, and if a great deal of people were to open their eyes and look deeper into who they are, they would discover how much they could connect and learn from them.
Part of the human experience involves going through the sometimes-unbearable feelings of emptiness, anger and great sadness. I used to frequently feel those overwhelming emotions, but I found transcendence through my willingness to be open to seeing the humanity in adults who have had similar issues as the kids. As I discovered our interconnectedness, I began to understand how judging and dehumanizing others ultimately imprisoned me, but as I worked hard to break down my prejudiced beliefs, I came to know freedom. While sharing my personal narrative at the SEA conference, I was extremely open with the kids about my internal journey (including the not-so-pretty parts). I wanted to clearly highlight the power found in relaying ones humanity. I especially wanted to emphasize that there is no quicker way to shut the door on relaying ones humanity then through violence, and as peacemakers, they must strive to keep that door open.
On the day of the conference, I had mentioned to one of the SEA principles, Jason Hasty, that I wanted to continue to engage with their community. The following day the principle contacted me and asked me to join him in exploring how I could stay involved, and so I met him at their Hyde Park Academy site on the corner of 60th and Crenshaw. My vision is to create an afterschool program where I meet with a couple students to help them discover and develop a personal narrative. Similar to how I shared my personal narrative at the conference, I would like set up opportunities for the students to share their stories within and outside of their communities. Poet and veteran civil rights activist Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Through sharing their stories, I believe that the students will feel seen, heard and empowered.
I formed an incredible connection with the kids that day. Despite our different life experiences, it was through the language of the soul that enabled us to truly see and support one another. They truly are society’s most hidden treasures.
Click here to see Mr. Gandhi and I speak.
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