The Read Aloud Project was created by Priscilla Weddle and Marie Benner-Rhoades to provide homeschooling resources in peace and justice during the pandemic. For January, the project highlighted books about new beginnings. In February, the project will be celebrating Black History Month by reading books about the achievements of Black Americans along with books written by Black authors. If you are interested in recording a video for the project, please email us at [email protected]. Here are the books that were read for the project in January:

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. by David A. Adler

Summary: This book provides an overview of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and activism. The last page of the book provides important dates.

Reflective Question: If Dr. King were still alive today, what do you think he would be most proud of? What do you think he would be most disappointed in?

Last year, What We Believe: A Black Lives Matter Principles Activity Book by Laleña Garcia and illustrated by Cary Davidson was published. The book aims to teach young children about the guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter Movement as adapted by the Black Lives Matter at NYC Steering Committee. In the book, there are different activities that children can do and pages they can color. On January 20, 2021, I attended a webinar hosted by Lee and Low Books called Black Lives Matter in the Classroom: A Conversation With Experts, where Garcia and Davidson spoke about their book and how the principles of Black Lives Matter can be applied in the classroom.

During this holiday season, you are able to give back every time you use your credit card. Sign up with OEP on RoundUp and support our work for justice and peace. 

Roundup is a service that collects the loose change left over after purchases and makes a gracious donation to the OEP community. Your pennies could help OEP create and run some of our community-favorite events this year.

Learn how it works here: https://roundup.app/p/onearthpeace

"Structures of evil do not crumble by passive waiting. If history teaches anything, it is that evil is recalcitrant and determined, and never voluntarily relinquishes its hold short of an almost fanatical resistance. Evil must be attacked by a counteracting persistence, by the day-to-day assault of the battering rams of justice." – Martin Luther King, Jr., in his 1968 book "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?"

Isn’t it cognitive dissonance for a nonviolence practitioner like Dr. King to preach about the need for battering rams?  Kingian Nonviolence is a philosophy of engaged action based in values like Beloved Community and attacking problems not people, and using tools like conflict analysis, dialectical thinking, and strategic campaigns, to help practitioners become grounded, hopeful individuals and build powerful efforts for a reconciled world. . . to become nonviolent battering rams.   

In December 2020, twenty-nine people completed the coursework component of On Earth Peace’s Level One Certification in Kingian Nonviolence. This spring they can earn their certification through twenty hours of practice teaching. We asked three of our cohort members to reflect on Kingian Nonviolence as a resource for today’s conflicts and problems. All three shared their reflections in a Martin Luther King Day program convened by On Earth Peace on January 18, with participants from the US, UK, the Philippines and India.

Read on for reflections from:  

• Dwight Dunston, co-founder and teaching artist, City Love, a West Philly-based social justice music and education group (Philadelphia, PA)
• Katie Shaw Thompson, pastor, Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren (Elgin, IL)
• Thomas Dowdy, pastor, Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren (Los Angeles, CA) 

The Read Aloud Project was created by Priscilla Weddle and Marie Benner-Rhoades to provide homeschooling resources in peace and justice during the pandemic. For the project, members of the community record themselves reading children’s books about peace, courage and justice. The response from the community has been great and we appreciate those who have participated. We have decided to extend the project through 2021.