Gandhi King Ikeda Exhibition - May 2008
Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace
Two major Houston universities, Rice University and the University of Houston, hosted the international peace exhibit, Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace (GKI Exhibit), during its Houston 2008 tour.
The GKI Exhibit was displayed first at Rice University from May 5 – 9 and then at the University of Houston (UH) from May 11 – 13.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Both universities will host Opening Ceremony events to kick-off the exhibit on their campuses. The GKI Exhibit Opening Ceremony at Rice University will take place on May 4 at the Ley Student Center from 4:30 – 6:30 pm and the Opening Ceremony at the University of Houston will take place on May 10 at the University Center Cougar Den from 6:30 – 9:00 pm.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and other city officials attended along with local civic, cultural and religious leaders.
The lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Daisaku Ikeda, three men from different cultures and countries follow that common path of profound dedication and achievement in addressing the plight of the common people.
- Martin L King
The exhibit delivers a striking message about individual leadership, and the difference that one person can make in promoting peace through non-violent action. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr., Ph.D., Dean of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Dr. King’s alma mater Morehouse College in Atlanta, has taken the initiative to promote the “community building” modeled by Gandhi, King and Ikeda through this exhibition.
Gandhi’s civil disobedience and nonviolent demonstrations won greater freedom and ultimately independence for 400 million citizens of India after three centuries of British rule. Dr. King’s commitment to peace and justice inspired the movement for civil and human rights, giving voice to the hopes and dreams of the poor and dispossessed throughout the world. Ikeda’s work as a leading Buddhist philosopher, author, poet and educator has led to the non-violent democratization of Japan’s feudalistic social structures and an international grass-roots initiative of intercultural and interfaith dialogue and cooperation for global peace.
- Daisaku Ikeda
Having fought selflessly in their respective time, each has left an enduring legacy for humanity, illuminating the path to non-violence, human rights and peace. “I conceptualized the exhibition with the hope that by examining the lives of these great individuals, viewers would be inspired to create value in the context of their own daily lives through the application of the ideals of peace and non-violence,” says Dr. Carter.
