Current faculty and staff members are invited to contribute their essays and dialogues to Perspectives. In choosing from submissions, the editorial staff will be guided by the campus community's need to be informed about matters related to university governance and institutional improvement. Because of limited space, submissions should not exceed 725 words. Each contribution will appear under a byline.
On the 70th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a beautiful life-size
statue was dedicated in the Peace Garden to honor the civil rights
leader and his enduring legacy. His eldest daughter,
Ms. Yolanda King, graced the occasion and dedicated the sculpture. The event was jointly organized for the first time by Fresno State and the City of Fresno's Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee. The two groups deserve a special commendation for their efforts in putting together such a fine program to honor Dr. King in our community.
To me Dr. King represents the best in us - the finest and the greatest that America has to offer to all of us and to the rest of the world.
He was the conscience of his generation. Though no longer with us, he is still the conscience of America - the guiding star helping us to navigate through the difficult times with courage and hope. Rarely are men like Dr. King sent to earth to show us the path. His commitment to peace, love, justice, nonviolence and human rights is central to bringing about social and structural change in our society. To bring Freedom and Equality to millions of poor, disenfranchised and oppressed people, he gave us a blueprint and a methodology. His philosophy and framework have global implications for addressing our problems today and in the next century.
Dr. King had a dream - a very big Dream. Though much has been accomplished since he shared his vision, we still have a long way to travel on this road. It is entirely up to us to continue the journey. It is entirely up to us to live up to that Dream. It is entirely up to us to keep that Hope alive.
Many of us in this community and at Fresno State are working hard to live up to that Dream in several ways. The memorial to Dr. King and the Peace Garden are reflections of an ongoing commitment on the part of those who want to live up to that Dream.
In the Peace Garden, the statue of Dr. King joins those of Mahatma Gandhi, the man who deeply influenced Dr. King, and Cesar E. Chavez, another great human being and a leader of our times who was influenced by Gandhi and Dr. King as well.
Truly speaking, no memorials can measure the strength, the depth and the extent of their vision and their message. They were larger than their lives. But their presence in the Peace Garden will be a constant reminder of their eternal message to all of us in our campus community - administrators, faculty, staff, students and anybody else who wants to be a part of this experience and consciousness in creating that Brotherhood, that World House of Peace and the Beloved Community that Dr. King talked about. Together they are going to inform us, guide us, inspire us and sustain us.
The concept of the Peace Garden was born soon after the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi was dedicated on Oct. 2, 1990. Dr. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi performed the dedication ceremony.
On March 31, 1996, the first life-size monument of Cesar E. Chavez in the nation was dedicated to the leader of the United Farm Workers Union who waged a nonviolent struggle against the social injustice, oppression and human suffering experienced by his people, especially the farmworkers in an affluent society.
The dedication to honor Dr. King brings an unprecedented uniqueness to our campus, where three brilliant exponents of nonviolence and human rights are recognized in one place. To the best of my knowledge, ours is the only campus in this country with this rare distinction - three great giants of our times at one place in our Peace Garden.
The Peace Garden Mission Statement says that the garden will be a place
Ideas for future projects include a central plaza with circular seating, a meditation knoll, a memorial for a female nonviolent leader (or a circle of wise women from different ethnic groups), recognition of Native Americans, and a Peace Wall reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diversity of our Valley. We need sponsors and underwriters. If some of you are willing to help us, please let us know.
Let me say at the end that "My life is my message,"
the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "I have a dream," the blueprint
given by Dr. King, and "Si se puede," the courage and
the will power provided by Cesar Chavez, have become a part of
my life and consciousness, and I hope they become a part of the
lives of many in our community.
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