by
At a moment when images of violence dominate the news cycle — abroad and at home — a group of nearly 90 community members, faith leaders, and civic organizers chose a different kind of gathering. On April 8th, just four days after the 58th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they came together at Center of Hope Community Church in Inglewood, California — not to protest, not to demonstrate, but to talk.
The occasion was part of Institute of Non-Violence Los Angeles (INVLA)’s Season of Nonviolence — an ongoing leadership dialogue series calling community leaders to examine and approach their work through the lens of nonviolence. Setting the tone, INVLA dialogue facilitator and host Sharon Sheldon grounded the room in the gravity of the occasion, underscoring what King demonstrated: that nonviolence is not a sentiment. It is a method.
The tools exist. The method has been proven. The leaders are already here.
That is what April 8th was building toward. Not the finish line. The starting point.