Civil Rights Activist Diane Nash Teaches Peaceful Protest is Possible
About 250 people came out to the University of Redlands Memorial Chapel to hear Nash, who was one of the original Freedom Riders of the 60's.
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As she began her address to a crowd of about 250 at the University of Redlands, civil rights activist Diane Nash held up an “Occupy” pamphlet that was handed to her by its members as she walked in.
“I read the leaflet that was passed out by Occupy Redlands and I think it is wonderful,” she said. The handout spoke of rights, injustices and peace, a subject near to Nash’s heart.
Nash is one of the original Freedom Riders, a group of civil rights activists who rode buses to monitor how closely a court ruling desegregating bus travel was being followed in the south. On Tuesday, the 73-year-old activist spoke to students and members of the community on “The Nonviolent Movement of the 1960s: A Legacy For Today.”
The event was presented by the University's Center for Diversity as the annual Cummings Peace Lecture.
She provided six phases of a non-violent movement. She also pressed the need for agapic energy. Agapic, from the Greek word agape or brotherly love or love for mankind, goes beyond the practice of non-violence. It allows people to embrace their opponents as brothers and sisters, even when philosophies drive them apart, she said.
“Agapic energy is not just absence of violence,” Nash said. “It is the use of a power. Agapic energy is not passive. It is active. Users of agapic energy are not pacifists, we are activists.”
Agapic energy helps dissuade opponents from embracing or accepting oppression or heals them from it, she said.
“People are never your enemy,” Nash said. “Unjust political systems, those are enemies. Unjust economic systems: enemies. Attitudes, racism, sexism, ignorance, emotional and mental illness -- those are enemies.”
“If you recognize that people are not the enemy, then you can love and respect the person at the same time you attack the attitude or the action of the person,” Nash told the crowd.
Her message was timely. On Sunday, members of the Occupy Riverside movement tussled with Riverside Police over the dismantling of their community kitchen. Redlands Occupiers took part in the civil disobedience. Eleven Riverside occupiers were arrested. The tension from the incident was still in air at that encampment on Tuesday.
As she spoke, heads nodded and whispers of agreement spread through some of the crowd.
“I’d never heard of agape before,” said Jessica Martinez, 21, a senior at University of Redlands. “That was very insightful. The idea is that we can’t be with those people when really we just have to talk to them about changing their mindset.”
“The six steps to having a successful movement and agapic power are absolutely amazing and just something that I want to go and immediately spread the word about,” said Amanda Baker, 22, also a senior at the university. “I can think of so many practical applications to it.”
“It’s amazing to see spoken truth to power,” she said. “We’ve studied these things all throughout the college experience. But then to hear about it in person is just so much more inspirational and motivating.”
University of Redlands senior Michelle Caudle said she is taking a class on youth activism.
“This is really applicable,” she said. “She spoke about how do you spread the word. How do you inspire people and encourage them to get involved in things. The agapic energy was just phenomenal. I just loved that.”
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