Gandhi tribute first of peace events
By Chhun Sun
To kick off a weeklong promotion of peace at Fresno State, “Stop
the Hate Week: Building a Culture of Peace” started Tuesday with
a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. To celebrate Gandhi’s 135th birthday
on Saturday, Poetry Jam put together a tribute that had a handful of poets
performing at the Free Speech Area.
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"Stop the Hate Week" held its first
event with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on Tuesday at the Free Speech
Area. Poets from Poetry Jam performed in front of a crowd
of about 30 people. Photo by Emily Tuck |
About 30 people stood in a line to hear the poets recite poems, mostly
written by established poets, while a large poster of Gandhi stood behind
them.
Michelle Colvin, a women’s studies major, recited a poem by folk
singer and political activist Ani Di Franco called “Self-Evident.”
She took about 10 minutes performing the poem, which was inspired by the
Sept. 11 attacks and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
“Peace comes in the form of a dream,” she said repeatedly,
each time her voice softening.
While the poets performed, Raul Moreno, a staff member of Migrant Services
and committee member of “Stop the Hate Week,” passed out bookmarks
dedicated to Gandhi. The bookmark had a picture of Gandhi with the quote
he is famous for: “We must be the change we wish to see.”
“If we want to see peace, you have to promote peace,” Moreno
said, echoing his interpretation of the message.
“Stop the Hate Week” started in 1990 to help the college “become
aware of the issues and problems that divide the campus,” said social
work education professor and promoter Su Kapoor.
“We want people to respect each other despite their ethnic backgrounds,”
Kapoor said. “It celebrates the diversity of our campus.”
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