With so many in the streets after the killings of #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, and so many others, we are mindful of people of many generations and racial/cultural backgrounds who are taking risks, providing support, or being invited into solidarity with the struggle for Black lives. As people seeking to follow Jesus and to follow a nonviolent path, we encourage congregations to stay strong in the long haul work of dismantling racism and building Beloved Community. Join us in the OEP-RacialJustice Learning Action Community for ideas about how to respond. You can learn more about the Movement for Black Lives on their website.

Kingian Nonviolence in the Modern World

Two of On Earth Peace’s four strategic goals (2020-2022) focus on Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation. Kingian Nonviolence (KNV) is an approach to conflict and social change organizing that is rooted in the black-led Freedom and Civil Rights Movement. It is a practice of agape love in action. Our first goal is to develop individuals as Kingian Nonviolence practitioners, and the second goal is to walk with those people and their communities as they use Kingian Nonviolence to address the issues they are facing. 

David Jehnsen and Bernard LaFayette, Jr., codified the Kingian Nonviolence approach after their experiences working with the Rev. Dr. Martin Liuther King, Jr., in both the northern and southern Civil Rights Movement campaigns. Jehnsen is an active member of the Living Peace Church of the Brethren (Columbus, OH). He became part of Dr. King’s project staff for the Chicago wing of the Civil Rights Movement after being placed in that city through Brethren Volunteer Service in 1962. David’s ongoing participation in On Earth Peace’s training programs provides an important grounding in the legacy and practice of Kingian Nonviolence. It is with David that we work toward a stronger community goal.

Kingian Nonviolence (KNV) is a philosophy and a methodology for conflict and social change organizing, with a clear set of values at its center - Dr. King’s 6 Principles of Nonviolence, discussed in his essay, “Pilgrimage to Nonviolence.” KNV is oriented toward engagement with our communities and the injustices we find there. 

In the last five years, On Earth Peace has helped pioneer online learning in Kingian Nonviolence, ranging from 90-minute introductory sessions to a 15-month Deep Dive with a national cohort of Kingian trainer/organizers.  If you are active in our Learning Action Communities, you will have already seen our organizing interns introducing principles of Kingian Nonviolence since the beginning of 2020.  

Join us for an initial taste of KNV in our upcoming Community Check-In on June 19, focused around Principle One, “Nonviolence is a Way of Life for Courageous People.”  If you are interested in learning more about our KNV offerings, including a summer 2020 opportunity to earn certification in Kingian Nonviolence, please contact us at [email protected].