Nonviolence Radio Nonviolence Radio

In this episode, we delve into the heart of campus activism sweeping across the United States, spotlighting the recent student protests in support of Gaza and calls to end violence. We connect with a faculty member from Yale to discuss the nuances of the current movement, and journey back to the spirited 1960s with a professor from Berkeley who once walked in similar protests. Join us as we explore how today's demonstrations resonate with the past, uncovering the threads that link generations of students in their pursuit of justice and peace. 

Part of the fun of nonviolence is showing where alternative practices and systems already exist and to lift them up to inspire more of us to explore and adapt them to our own time, cultures and needs. Take mediation: We know that when practiced with the intent of healing divides, de-escalting violence, and restoring relationships, it works (and “works” if you know Michael Nagler’s “work” vs. work concept), and we don’t hear enough about it in the news. Everyday mediators across the world are building peace in families, communities, and working to heal even our political divides. That’s something hopeful to remember! And the skills of mediation are also something each one of us can learn and adapt for our own needs as they are life skills and benefit those who use them as well as those who are on the receiving end. Sounds a lot like nonviolence to us.
In this episode of Nonviolence Radio we speak with Mike Fraidenburg who is a mediator and co-author of The Art of Mediation  about how this work has changed him, and how it can change the world if we do more of it.

This episode of Nonviolence Radio welcomes Dr. Craig Atwood, professor of theology at Moravian Theological Seminary and director of the Center for Moravian Studies. Together with Stephanie and Michael, Craig discusses his research and teaching on the history of Moravian thought and faith with special attention to medieval thinker, Peter Chelčický. 
Identifying the central role of nonviolence in Moravian theology at that time illuminates its long historical roots, extending the community of those committed to nonviolence far into the past and in this, strengthening and legitimizing a tradition which – as seen in the Nonviolence Report at the end of the show – continues to grow today. 

As a Palestinian, Sami and his family have suffered directly under the long Israeli occupation and more acutely now, from the current war. Sami speaks candidly about the ways in which politicians and media harness fear and exploit unhealed traumas so that violence seems to be the only response to conflict. This, he insists, is a distortion – and one that must be actively resisted. Instead of accepting the simplistic binary categories of victim and victimizer, Palestinians can envision and then work collectively through nonviolent means to realize a just future, one which they themselves have chosen. Such a path calls for broad education in nonviolence, it calls for deliberate organization, it calls for genuine leadership and crucially, it calls for love to be our primary motivation. The situation in Palestine is horrific, there is no quick fix, but when we reject fear as our driver and turn to love instead, possibilities for real change emerge
"I think part of loving is to deeply understand who the other is and where they're coming from and what motivates them to behave the way they behave and do the things they do. And in that love and care and compassion, creates space for transformation and healing. And I think that is definitely much more powerful than fear, and is key. But it's a journey." - Sami Awad

On this episode of Nonviolence Radio philosophy professor, Jen Kling (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs), talks with Michael and Stephanie about refugees and the complex issue of resettling and caring for those who have had to leave their homes. Ensuring that people fleeing hardship at home can find a safe place to live, genuine opportunities to engage in school and meaningful work, to integrate and flourish in a new place is fraught with tensions, tensions which are often overlooked, avoided or simply ignored. Jen encourages us all to look closely at the problem and to deal with it, however imperfectly, head on:
… it’s insufficient to just say, “Okay, we're just going to resettle folks,” right? And there are a number of different ways to resettle folks. Once folks are resettled or in the process, you also then have to be making sure that they have access to justice. That’s such a philosopher thing to say, but I think it’s true. And having access to justice is having somebody check up. Ii is understanding your rights, responsibilities, obligations, and opportunities; that there’s someone you can go to, that this is the kind of thing that shouldn’t be happening to you. And I think that’s why it’s so important to work through the details, to say, What does justice demand of us in this case? Because I think it actually demands a lot more than we would like to believe. I think it does. We owe it to folks, not as a matter of compassion or as a matter of mercy, but as a matter of justice because they're people too, you know, and we owe it to them.


All of us in the global community have a responsibility to step up to the big work of taking care of each other, especially those who, like refugees, are vulnerable and without recourse to the rights and support they deserve. This is not a small endeavor, but it is an important one and a necessary one. In Jen’s words, “Sometimes we are responsible for fixing things we did not break.”  

Topic Scans and Links:
Tariq Habash, from the US Department of Education resigns over the war in Gaza.


Good Shepherd Collective campaign called No Ceasefire, No Votes.


800 government employees from the US and other 12 nations published a letter protesting Israeli policies and stating that the leaders of their countries could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza.

USAID, a thousand of their employees have released an open letter with the same concern.

Hundreds of thousands of Germans rallied in a hundred cities against the plan that the AfD developed to deport people.

Marlene Engelhorn has recently drawn attention to herself by giving away or preparing to give away 90% of her wealth. She said, “I’m creating the tax I would want to pay.”

But there’s a bill before the Senate and the House which would make nonviolent protests a federal crime called the “Safe and Open Streets Act.”

Mexico has brought seven US gun manufacturers to court.

Truthforce.works

Solutionary climate fiction

Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping and Accompaniment — worldwide meeting, 61 organizations representing 24 countries in Geneva who called themselves the Community of Practice.

Nonviolent Peaceforce are offering a trip to the Philippines.

Pace e Bene — $1000 grant for innovative projects that address community violence. Apply soon!

This month is the 40th anniversary of the MST - Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, Movement of Landless Workers.