MERCED - The “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace”
exhibit will be on display at the University of California, Merced,
from Saturday, Sept. 29 through Saturday, Oct. 13. A public tribute
ceremony will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, at
the university’s Kolligian Library.
The exhibit features photographs, quotations and biographical
information about Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and
Daisaku Ikeda, three men from different cultures who devoted their
lives to building peace in their communities despite adversity. It
was developed in 2001 under the direction of Lawrence E. Carter
Sr., dean of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr.
International Chapel.
Having fought selflessly in their respective times, each leader
has left an enduring legacy, illuminating the path to nonviolence,
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 nonviolence,” Carter said.
Gandhi and King are household names, but Ikeda, an international
Buddhist leader, isn’t well known in the San Joaquin Valley. He is
the president of Soka Gakkai International, a nonprofit Buddhist
organization with members in 190 countries and territories
worldwide that promotes peace, culture and education. Ikeda was
chosen by Carter to be part of the exhibit because of his
contributions to world peace.
The exhibit will be on display on the first floor of UC Merced’s
Kolligian Library, 5200 N. Lake Road. Library hours are from 8 a.m.
to midnight Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, noon
to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Tuesday’s tribute ceremony will feature opening remarks by
Chancellor Steve Kang. The keynote address will be delivered by
California State University, Stanislaus, President Hamid Shirvani,
who supports Soka Gakkai International. Also in attendance will be
Merced Mayor Ellie Wooten; Michelle Allison, president of Merced’s
NAACP chapter; and a representative from the office of Congressman
Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater. During the ceremony, UC Merced’s Desi
Student Association will pay tribute to Gandhi. FLO, a student a
capella singing group, will pay tribute to King.
Public parking is available at the campus’ Lake Lot on Scholars
Lane. Parking permits are $1 for every two hours and available at
bright-yellow dispensers on campus.
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