Lokashakti Encyclopedia - Groups

Groups and organizations that have played significant roles in nonviolent movements
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Madres de la Plaza de Mayo

Through a sustained presence and remarkable persistence lasting decades, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo sought to find missing children and other relatives who had disappeared during the time of Argentina's military dictatorship in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Mennonites

A Christian Anabaptist denomination named after Menno Simons. One of the historic peace churches, Mennonites have become known over the years for their radical commitment to nonviolence and social justice.

Movement for a New Society

American antiwar group founded in Philadelphia in 1971, active until the late 1980s. Movement for a New Society played a unique role in the history of nonviolence in the United States, especially with their successful nonviolent struggle to keep US arms from being shipped to West Pakistan.

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People

In response to environmental and economic degradation in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the Ogoni people came together under the leadership of Ken Saro-Wiwa to nonviolently battle the combined forces of the corrupt Nigerian government and the multinational corporation, Shell Oil.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

An activist organization founded in 1991 to oppose the Sardar Sarovar dam project, and save the land and livelihood of people living along the Narmada river in Gujarat, India. Their protest tactics at times include the 'monsoon satyagraha' - where participants refuse to move while rising waters flood their fields and homes.

New England Non-Resistance Society

The New England Non-Resistance Society was perhaps the first group ever to explicitly promote the idea of nonviolence, and was founded by William Lloyd Garrison and others in 1838. The group published a periodical, The Non-Resistant, and was later headed by Unitarian minister and early nonviolence theorist Adin Ballou.

Pacific Life Community

The Pacific Life Community, like its east-coast counterpart the Atlantic Life Community, is made up of uncompromising Christian activists for peace and social justice. Founding the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in 1977, the PLC engages in anti-nuclear activism mainly in Washington state.

Religious Society of Friends

One of the original historic peace churches, the Religious Society of Friends has its origins in mid-seventeenth-century Britain. Coming to be known as Quakers, adherents have by and large acted on what they believed was their Christian duty to oppose war, slavery, and other forms of social injustice.

School of the Americas Watch

Founded by Father Roy Bourgeois in 1989, SOA Watch was initiated to eventually bring about the closure of the United States Army's 'School of the Americas' in Fort Benning, Georgia - essentially a training academy for right-wing Latin American dictators and paramilitary friendly to US foreign interests.

Solidarność

Solidarność, or Polish Solidarity, was a trade union in Poland coming out of the Gdansk shipyards in August 1980. Led by future Polish president Lech Walesa, the group grew to include almost 10 million members, and helped nonviolently free the country from years of Communist rule and undue Soviet influence.



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  • Bios   ( 23 )
    Inspirational noteworthy figures in the history of nonviolence, peace, and social justice
  • Groups   ( 24 )
    Groups and organizations that have played significant roles in nonviolent movements
  • Concepts   ( 18 )
    Important concepts related to peace and nonviolence, especially in regards to nonviolent action
  • Movements   ( 26 )
    Movements and historical events where nonviolent action was used entirely or in large part