[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2891-E2892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE 
                            AND NONVIOLENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 3, 2009

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a resolution 
commending the participants and organizers of the inaugural World Peace 
March.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, ``Non-violence is the 
greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the 
mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.''
  The idea for this march was developed during the Symposium of the 
World Center for Humanist Studies in Punta de Vacas, Argentina. The 
result is a 90-day global voyage to raise awareness about the 
importance of peace and nonviolence. More than 100 participants will 
visit 45 countries encouraging a global movement towards peace.
  On the 140th anniversary of Mahatma K. Gandhi's birth, the World 
March for Peace and Non-Violence began in Wellington, New Zealand. The 
participants have since traveled across Asia, Europe, and Africa, 
through many countries in opposition to militarism, war, and violence. 
Upon arriving in the United States, the teams divided to travel across 
the country and to Canada before beginning the final leg of their 
journey through Central and South America en route to Argentina.
  I applaud the participants for their commitment to nonviolence and 
their determination to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and Dr. King. 
Earlier this year, I led a congressional delegation to India to 
commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. and Mrs. King's pilgrimage. 
Upon return, I introduced H.R. 3328, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange 
Initiative Act of 2009, a bill to establish initiatives through the 
U.S. State Department and the U.S. Institute of Peace to rededicate our 
nation and educate our future leaders about the power of peace.

[[Page E2892]]

  Madam Speaker, I have dedicated my life to Gandhi's words, 
``Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.'' Nonviolence was the 
foundation of the Civil Rights and Quit India movement. I hope that all 
of my colleagues will appreciate the value of nonviolence as a means to 
achieving both domestic and global peace. I hope they will join me in 
support of this very simple resolution.

                          ____________________