People usually associate the phrase "We shall overcome!" with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, not with Court Street. But Tuesday, the phrase rang through Court Street and College Green as students brought their class teachings to the street.
For the past two weeks, Francine Childs' Tier III class "Gandhi and Martin Luther King" has learned, practiced and made non-violence a part of their everyday lives and those of Athens residents. This phrase is only a smaller part of a big puzzle involving a struggle more than 100 years old.
"(Non-violence) hasn't been taught to this generation," Childs said. "The students were in awe of the topic."
The class challenges students to learn the theories and ideas behind non-violence and then apply them to real life situations.
Childs, who has been teaching the Tier III class since 1985, draws heavily on her previous experiences in the non-violent tradition. She met Martin Luther King Jr. during her studies at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas, and the meeting inspired her to push for non-violence. Bringing issues and experiences from the past into contemporary situations helps connect and bring the class teaching together, she said.
"That was probably the highlight of my life," she said. "I try to relate the past to the present (in the class)."
The most important part of the class she said was the interconnection between theory, examples and practice of non-violence methods of Gandhi and King. Once Childs recounts her stories and connects them to the bigger picture, she allows students to discuss among themselves what they think about the issues.
"I intersperse my stories with videos and readings," she said. "Everything is interconnected -- that's what real synthesis is about."
Students in the class performed community-service projects and documented their progress through storyboards constructed for class. Childs uses old projects to show new students what has been done and what the power of non-violence can do for a community. In the past, students have raised money for food banks, Goodworks, hospices and community centers in and around Athens.
"It follows and is based on the readings and something Martin Luther King emphasized -- 'Leave an imprint on the community.'" Childs said.
One group painted the Graffiti Wall near Bentley Hall and distributed signs around Uptown businesses professing the teachings of Gandhi, King and other non-violent leaders. Group member Raven Sumner said delving into non-violent teachings deeper than just what King and Gandhi did was most interesting to her.
"I really thought it was interesting to study deeper," she said. "We got to learn what was behind the actions."
And many of the students found out first hand how difficult it is, they said, to just organize an event or project.
"Even on a small scale, it was hard to organize and get the project going," said Luke Lindon, another group member. He said he appreciated what non-violent protestors had to do in the past.
Other groups worked to repaint basketball courts at the Athens Recreation Center, raise money for local charities and help clean up a hospice in Glouster.
Childs said violence, degradation of women and swearing all have contributed to a more uncaring society. Ultimately, she said she thinks everyone can benefit from the teachings in her class despite what she calls society's "down-spiraling."
"This is a class everyone should take," she said. "Everyone would benefit from it."
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Benjamin Roode
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Students enrolled in the Tier III class Gandhi and Martin Luther King paint the wall on West Green and wear shirts with different quotes on them in an attempt to spread the message of non-violence they have learned in class last Thursday. The class is t
