Fresno State will present three renowned civil rights scholars as panelists for “Gandhi, the Civil Rights Movement and the Continuing Struggle for Justice and Peace,” a webinar hosted by the Office of the President — the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., Vinay Lal and Dianne Dillon-Ridgley.

This event will focus on the history of connections between Mohandas Gandhi and leaders of civil rights movements, as well as the continuing struggle against racial inequality and injustice. 

The hour-long webinar will be broadcast on Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2. Following brief presentations from each of the three scholars, a moderated question-and-answer session will take place.

The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. is widely recognized as a pioneer of nonviolence in the American Civil Liberties Movement. He is an activist, minister, and a scholar of the Bible, as well as a living icon embodying the power of nonviolence in securing justice and peace. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described Lawson as “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.”

Vinay Lal, a professor of history and Asian American studies at UCLA, has written over a dozen books on a broad range of intellectual, political and research interests, which include South Asian history, comparative colonial histories, the Indian diaspora, public and popular culture in India, cinema, cultures of sexuality, the global histories of nonviolence and the thought of Mahatma Gandhi.

Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, a member of the board of trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, is a lifelong advocate for human rights, female empowerment and sustainability. She is currently the executive director of the Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future. Originally from Dallas, Dillon-Ridgley has advised and served on over 23 U.S. delegations at the United Nations and international forums spanning the tenure of three U.S. presidents.

“The webinar is an example of what Fresno State does best: We dialogue, we discuss, and we provide informed scholarship for the sake of building bridges of collaboration and furthering our understanding of history,” said Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Fresno State. “This seminar will highlight how Gandhi’s philosophy influenced the historic movements led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Reverend James M. Lawson, John Lewis, and others. Some lessons will include the value of building alliances, the importance of nonviolent action, and the power of collective dedication to promoting change that furthers social equality and harmony.”

Those interested in participating can join the Sept. 2 webinar at this link.

Fresno State is planning another discussion for a later date, around the topic “Gandhi’s Vision of India and the Struggle for Unity and Harmony.”