Students from Mater Dei Prep recently shared a screen with legends in the civil rights movement for an honest discussion on discrimination, civility, nonviolence and more.

“It was an honor to be part of a conference with such powerful activist and human rights figures,” said Tyler Malik Ismail, a member of the Middletown school’s Global Institute of Emerging Leaders program.

The Gandhi-King Season for Non-Violence Conference, held virtually due to the pandemic, is in its 24th year. Established by Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, the Season for Non-Violence celebrates the principles of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The “season” runs from Jan. 30-April 4, the anniversaries of each man’s assassination.

Students from Mater Dei’s Global Leaders said they were thankful to have a hand in organizing the conference as well as participate in the event.

“I was truly honored to work with civil rights leaders over the past couple of months. Being able to be in the same Zoom room with them makes me feel like I am a part of something [larger],” said sophomore Emma DeBiase, who played a vital role as a moderator and technology assistant for the March 25 conference.

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This year’s conference speakers included James Zwerg and Catherine Burks-Brooks of the historic Freedom Riders; Angeline Butler, one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who worked with Dr. King; King Holland, who fought segregation through sit-ins at school and lunch counters; Marion Fuson, a civil rights organizing mentor, and Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to take part in the Selma Voting Rights March of 1965 and witness Bloody Sunday at the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge.

“It was an evening I will never forget,” said student Abigail O’Sullivan. “I was able to talk to Mrs. Marion Fuson, who is 101 … and an inspiration to all of us. I truly felt like I was walking side by side with these living legends I have only read about in our history books. I look forward to joining them again next year moving their message forward.”

During the conference, the civil rights leaders discussed past and present peace-building efforts. Holland spoke about the role Catholic schools played in his life when he was younger. Because the Catholic schools he attended in the South did not adhere to segregationist policies in place at the time, he said he was able to receive a quality education, which allowed him to continue on to Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. 

Mater Dei students also presented at the event, debuting a video they created titled “Our Voices Matter.” Freshman Garrett Nolan spoke about global religious persecution in the video.

“This topic was important to me because while thankfully the situation has improved, as an Irish-Catholic, I was well aware of the discrimination we faced throughout history,” he said, adding that the student video was well-received by the civil rights activists.

“When our presentation started, these leaders were moved and impacted by its message because despite it being 60 years later, our great nation is still facing trials and tribulations,” Nolan said. “I hope that our message continues to be spread around the planet, because we all have a responsibility to repair the world.”

The students who took part in the conference were part of Mater Dei’s Global Leaders Institute, which aims to promote peace locally and abroad. Through a partnership with the non-governmental organization Pathways to Peace, students often serve as representatives at the United Nations on peace-building issues.