The Change we Wish to See:

A Brief Summary of Gandhi’s Non-Violence and its Application to Contemporary Human Rights Issues

in SF Bay Area Immigrant Populations

Alyson Rae Sprague8th Annual Human Rights SummitSan Francisco State University

Spring 2011

Published AbstractI will present a brief summary of the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), a pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian Independence Movement. Rather than perform an extensive exegesis of the intricacies of Gandhi’s philosophy, I will focus on one principle of his non-violence theories: Satyagraha. The term “Satyagraha” can be loosely translated as “Soul force,” or, “holding on to truth”, and is a type non-violent civil resistance conceived and developed by Gandhi himself. This principle has been cross-culturally influential, successfully employed by both Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela in North America and Africa respectively.

How can Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraha be applied to contemporary human rights issues in the SF Bay Area? I will briefly answer this query by offering one prominent example of human rights violations in regards specifically to immigrant populations (for example: violations in the right to good health). I will offer a brief proposal of resistance using Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraha and elicit responses from the audience on the proposal’s probability, possible objections to Gandhi’s theory generally or my application thereof specifically.

Mohandas Gandhi1869-1948

What was gandhi up against?

During Gandhi’s lifetime, The British empire controlled approximately 458 million people, and

1/4th of the world’s land area (Elkins, 2005).

Britain’s India

Prior to the Indian Independence movement, India was not a unified country, but a land mass divided into several colonies based on the prominent religion of the region

SatyagrahaTerm adapted by Gandhi

in 1909, during South African resistance.

Satya = “Truth”Graha = “Insistence”/

“firmness

Non-Violent Civil Resistance

“The Satyagrahi’s object is to convert, not to coerce, the wrong-doer.”

Gandhi, 1930

Satyagraha Principles

• Know and appreciate the laws of the state

• Harbor no anger

• Never retaliate but do not submit to assaults or punishment

• Do not insult the opponent

• Follow the guidance of the civil resistance movement without question.

• Be willing to endure pain and suffering of yourself and your family for your cause, and do not react with violence.

Gandhi, 1930

ACTIVE Civil Resistance, returning violence with

non-violence, via UNITY

Satyagraha

Satyagraha in action: the salt march 1930

•British law requires Indian people to purchase salt, a requisite dietary mineral, at exorbitant prices, even though it is extracted from local Indian Ocean.

•Gandhi leads a non-violent resistance and march to the Indian Ocean, a distance of 200 miles over 28 days, allowing Indian citizens to freely collect their own salt. Hundreds of jobs are left unfulfilled for duration of the march.

•Hundreds of Indian citizens stand in solidarity, united despite religious differences, against assaults of British government. Many killing or seriously injured, others are jailed.

•Continued non-violent resistance and labor strikes eventually leads to repeal of anti-free trade law of salt

Satyagraha throughout historyMartin Luther King, Jr. “As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism

concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform. ... It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking”

Nelson Mandela Mandela and Afrikaaner National Party (ANC) followed Gandhi’s

Satyagraha, for over ten years (1949-1962), aiding in the repeal of segregation and other racist laws in South Africa.

Contemporary human rights violations in SF bay area

Child rights

Health Care

Domestic Violence

Low pay

call for action:Satyagraha for immigrant populations in san francisco

Become aware of your rightshttp://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights

All immigrant populations, regardless of race, must stand in solidarity

Unite in active--but non-violent--protests, marches, labor strikes.

Could this be the change we wish to

see?

Sources

King, Jr., Martin Luther (1998). Carson, Clayborne, ed. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. pp. 23-24.

Gandhi, M.K. “Pre-requisites for Satyagraha” Young India 1 August 1925

Gandhi, M.K. “Some Rules of Satyagraha” Young India (Navajivan) 23 February 1930 (The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi vol. 48, p. 340

Elkins, Caroline (2005). Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya. Owl Books.

American Civil Liberties Unionhttp://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights