29 Jan 2018

By Anthony J. Marsella and Kathleen Malley-Morrison

Introduction

26 Jan 2018 – The annual memorial holiday on January 15, 2018, celebrating Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s enduring contributions to peace and justice, has passed.

The events of the day linger in our minds, eternally grateful for Reverend King’s efforts to free people and nations from the brutal oppressions imposed by governments, nations, societies, organizations, and individuals, who willfully continue to support and sustain the evils of racism, prejudice, violence, and war.

Reverend King’s commitment to freedom from oppression and abuse compel us to continue his efforts far beyond the words, songs, and promises of his day.

To this end, we, (i.e., Kathy Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella), the authors of this article, have chosen to demonstrate our responsibilities to continuing the work of Reverend King, by identifying 100 living peace and social justice leaders and models.

The number is arbitrary for there are tens of thousands more who deserve citation. Many are not listed, but will be listed in future efforts. Do not be dismayed! Patience! We believed it essential to create a dynamic list of living peace and justice activists and advocates to encourage peace and justice work.

The individuals included on our list are from all genders, ages, roles.  They are from many nations, ethnocultural groups, and “races.”  We sense a rising tide of commitment to peace and justice, and an intolerance of the corruption, cronyism, and asymmetric power sustaining current abuses.

We consider our efforts a beginning, and we will continue to publish new lists. This is because the struggle for peace and justice is endless, and each day new people are rising to the call.

This is as it should be, and must be, until such time the forces of oppression yield to the forces of good; evil will continue, but human virtue, endowed in conscience will triumph! While the work of many included will be recognized, some of those listed may not be apparent. We have attached website information after each name to offer insight into their efforts.

Before sharing our list, however, we wish to include two charts offering graphic displays of essential material for understanding and appreciating living leaders.

CHART 1: PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEACE AND JUSTICE LEADERS AND MODELS

CHART 2: ROLES AND STATUSES OF LIVING PEACE & JUSTICE LEADERS AND MODELS

TABLE 1:

One Hundred Living Peace and Justice Activists, Advocates, Models

1. Abdul-Jabbar: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Adams: David Adams
3. Albertini: James Albertini
4. Assange: Julian Assange
5. Atzmon: Gilad Atzmon
6. Avnery: Uri Avnery
7. Bacevich: Andrew Bacevich
8. Baroud: Ramzy Baroud
9. Benjamin: Medea Benjamin
10. Berrigan: Frida Berrigan
11. Binney: William Binney
12. Blum: Willam Blum
13. Burrowes: Robert J. Burrowes
14. Caldicott: Helen Caldicott
15. Castro: Gustavo Castro
16. Chiponda: Melania Chiponda
17. Chomsky: Noam Chomsky
18. Coates: Ta-Nehisi Coates
19. Cole: Juan Cole
20. Cook: Michelle Cook
21. Dalai: Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
22. Davis: Angela Davis
23. Ebadi: Shrin Ebadi
24. Eidelson: Roy Eidelson
25. Ellsberg: Daniel Ellsberg
26. Engelhardt: Tom Engelhardt
27. Falk: Richard Falk
28. Feeley: Tom Feeley
29. Fonda: Jane Fonda
30. Galtung: Johan Galtung
31. Garza: Alicia Garza
32. Giroux: Henry A. Giroux
33. Goodman: Amy Goodman
34. Gorbachev: Mikhail Gorbachev
35. Greenwald: Glen Greenwald
36. Guevara-Rosas: Erika Guevara-Rosas
37. Haugen: Gary Haugen
38. Hedges: Chris Hedges
39. Hersh: Seymour Hersh
40. Hightower: Jim Hightower
41. Ikeda: Daisaku Ikeda
42. Jamail: Dahr Jamail
43. Jones: Van Jones
44. Kalaygian: Ani Kalayjian
45. Karman: Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman
46. Kelly: Kathy Kelly
47. Killelea: Steve Killelea
48. Kiriakou: John Kiriakou   
49. Klein: Naomi Klein
50. Knox: Michael Knox 
51. Koehler: Robert Koehler  
52. Kohls: Gary G. Kohls 
53. Lakey: George Lakey
54. Leonard: Annie Leonard 
55. Lerner: Rabbi Michael Lerner
56. Lifton:   Robert Lifton
57. Lindorff: David Lindorff
58. Manning: Chelsea Manning
59. McCoy: Alfred McCoy
60. McGovern: Ray McGovern 
61. Maguire: Mairead McGuire  
62. Menchu: Rigoberto Menchu 
63. Miles: Stephen Miles
64. Monbiot: George Monbiot 
65. Nader: Ralph Nader
66. Oberg: Jan Oberg 
67. Okon: Emen Okon  
68. Ono: Yoko Ono
69. Peled: Miko Peled
70. Petras: James Petras
71. Pilger: John Pilger
72. Pilisuk: Marc Pilisuk  
73. Qumsiyeh: Mazin Qumsiyeh
74. Ragbir: Ravi Ragbir 
75. Reich: Robert Reich
76. Risen: James Risen 
77. Roberts: Paul Craig Roberts 
78. Rosa: Antonio C. S. Rosa
79. Roy: Arundhati Roy 
80. Satyarthri: Kailash Satyarthi 
81. Sharpton: Al Sharpton 
82. Sheehan: Cindy Sheehan
83. Shoman: Samia Shoman 
84. Soetoro-Ng: Maya Soetoro-Ng 
85. Staub: Ervin Staub  
86. Swanson: David Swanson
87. Taibibi: Matt Taibibi 
88. Tamimi: Ahed Tamimi 
89. Thich: Thích Nhất Hạnh 
90. Trask: Haunani-Kay Trask 
91. Turse: Nick Turse  
92. Tutu: Desmond Tutu 
93. Vandeman: Mike Vandeman 
94. Walsh: Dot Walsh
95. Weir: Alice Weir 
96. Whitehead: John W. Whitehead
97. West: Cornel West 
98. Wilkerson: Colonel Larry Wilkerson
99. Williams: Jody Williams 
100. Yousafzai: Malala Yousafzai

This is our continuing contribution to the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

His work continues in the lives of those who share his commitments.

______________________________________________

Kathleen Malley-Morrison, Ed.D., Director of the Group on International Perspectives on Governmental Aggression and Peace (GIPGAP), is Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including Family Violence in a Cultural Perspective, and Family Violence in the United States, as well as editor of the four volume series: State violence and the right to peace: An international survey of the views of ordinary people. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on violence within relationships and nations. Her current efforts to advance peace and social justice are centered primarily in her blog, Engaging Peace. http://engagingpeace.com. She can be reached at: kathiemm@engagingpeace.com

Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Emeritus Professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, and past director of the World Health Organization Psychiatric Research Center in Honolulu.  He is known internationally as a pioneer figure in the study of culture and psychopathology who challenged the ethnocentrism and racial biases of many assumptions, theories, and practices in psychology and psychiatry. In more recent years, he has been writing and lecturing on peace and social justice. He has published 21 books and more than 300 articles, tech reports, and popular commentaries. His TMS articles may be accessed HERE and he can be reached at marsella@hawaii.edu.

Originally published at the Transcend Media Service, TMS, here