{"id":237512,"date":"2026-07-16T15:34:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=237512"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:34:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:34:33","slug":"civil-rights-leader-urges-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/16\/civil-rights-leader-urges-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Civil rights leader urges peace, moral courage in trying times"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Â鶹´«Ã½leaders,
Gov. Josh Green delivers a proclamation to Lawrence Carter Sr., with UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Chancellor Vassilis Syrmos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A capacity crowd filled the Architecture Auditorium at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa for a profound exploration of peace and justice. Newly appointed UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Chancellor Vassilis Syrmos hosted a special public lecture by renowned minister, author and civil rights scholar Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., titled “Moral Courage and Nonviolent Transformation,” on Wednesday, July 15.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Lawrence Carter Sr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carter brought decades of historical perspective and academic expertise to the conversation. He retired on June 30 as the dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and a professor of religion at Morehouse College. Carter is also the founder of the Gandhi King Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation at Morehouse, an initiative dedicated to advancing global harmony and interfaith dialogue.<\/p>\n

Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Gov. Josh Green attended the lecture to present a special proclamation to Carter. Honolulu-Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> NAACP<\/abbr> President Alphonso Braggs also presented an official letter to the keynote speaker on behalf of the national leadership.<\/p>\n

“Carter\u2019s lessons on nonviolence and moral leadership call on us to have courage and look beyond ourselves, especially in challenging times,” Syrmos said. “It is inspiring to hear from someone who has worked and lived toward peaceful ends, crossing religious and cultural lines to bring people together.”<\/p>\n

\"Lawrence<\/p>\n

Following the primary presentation, Maya Soetoro served as the moderator on a panel discussion exploring the practical applications of nonviolent transformation in contemporary society. The collaborative dialogue featured a panel that added Brien Hallett from the Matsunaga Institute for Peace, Ann Hartman from the East-West Center, and Adin Strauss representing Soka Gakkai International\u2013USA<\/abbr>. The experts provided diverse perspectives on how communities can implement ethical reconciliation and moral courage today.<\/p>\n

The lecture was presented by the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Office of the Chancellor in coordination with the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, with support from the Matsunaga Institute for Peace, East-West Center, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa College of Education, United Nations Association\u2013Honolulu Chapter and Peacebuilding LLC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. inspired a packed audience with a lecture on moral courage and nonviolence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":237454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[95,10,1787,330,9],"class_list":["post-237512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-education","tag-east-west-center","tag-manoachancellor","tag-matsunaga-institute-for-peace","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t