Nonviolence 4 Equality

Part 4, “The Pledge to Nonviolence (.PDF)

Soulforce Pledge to Nonviolence 2003

This pledge can be used at the end of a training or immediately at the beginning of an action. It is recommended that action participants carry the pledge on their person as a reminder of their commitment to nonviolent methods of resistance and civil disobedience.

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Historically, there have been a variety of iterations of Gandhi’s original pledge to nonviolence.*

(Dhawan, Gopinath, The Political Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi)

(Op. Cit., pp 182-183)

(Young, Andrew, An Easy Burden, p. 238)

* Some groups opt to use “affirmations” because the term “pledge” is contrary to deeply held beliefs of many nonviolent adherents.

This particular iteration is based on one used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and modified by Soulforce, Inc. in 2003: Soulforce Pledge to Nonviolence