Danilo Dolci’s activism made a significant impact on the practice of peaceful protest in Italy. His inspirational nature is reflected in his nickname, the “Sicilian Gandhi,” aptly given for his commitment to nonviolent action. Through hunger strikes and reverse strikes, community organization and education, as well as published literature, Dolci made significant progress towards improving life in Sicily.
biography
Leading Nonviolence Scholar: Gene Sharp
Gene Sharp is the “world’s leading writer on nonviolent action.” He played a key role in systematizing the nonviolence field by classifying methods of nonviolent action and elaborating on the theory of power.
Oral History Interview with Antonio Salazar-Hobson
This oral history interview was conducted by Gabe Sanders with Antonio Salazar-Hobson, a tribal and labor lawyer who has worked with Cesar Chavez. Below is a summary of the oral history, as well as the transcript itself.
Vel Phillips: Wisconsin Civil Rights Trailblazer and the March on Milwaukee
According to Vel Phillips, it is hard to describe the wonder of the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. to those who haven’t seen them because nothing compares.
Resurrecting King and Resurrection City: Opposing Memories of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and a Forgotten Moment in His Legacy
Every year, come the third Monday of January, Americans flip through news channels reflecting on the legacy of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Individuals active on social media—depending on the political affiliations of their peers—view a long series of posts listing the bastardization of King’s memory on both sides of the aisle.
Kwame Nkrumah: Wrestling with Nonviolence
Nkrumah believed that Ghana’s fate was intertwined with that of all Africans. He famously said that “the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.”
Bobby Sands and the 1981 Hunger Strike
Bobby Sands was an incredibly multifaceted figure in modern Irish history. He was a writer and poet, a member of Parliament, and a volunteer to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Why Civil Resistance Works: Award-Winning Author Dr. Maria J. Stephan Speaks at UW-Madison
At 7pm on November 15th, the UW Center for Interfaith Dialogue alongside the Interfaith Peace Working Group with help from the Nonviolence Project, hosted Dr. Maria J. Stephan for a talk on the efficacy of nonviolent campaigns.
A Militant Priest’s Nonviolence: Critical Reception of Father Groppi
As marches proliferated in the Jim Crow South during the 1960s, movements also gathered in the North, protesting segregated housing and unequal treatment of Black Americans. In Milwaukee, a priest named Father Groppi—after witnessing the maltreatment of Black Milwaukeeans throughout his youth and adulthood—decided to use his position in church leadership to aid the efforts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to achieve fair housing.
James Farmer: Co-Founder of CORE
James Farmer was “one of the major leaders of the African American freedom struggle.”