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| Dr. Gail Presbey, Professor in Philosophy |
On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Frostburg State University held its
spring 2013 Philosophical Forum, “The Gandhian Philosophy of Nonviolence in
African Liberation Movements: Lessons for Our Time,” at 7 p.m. in the Atkinson
Room 232 of the Lane University Center. This forum was lead by the phenomenal Dr.
Gail Presbey, who is a professor of philosophy at the University of Detroit
Mercy. This lecture covered the trials and tribulations that many African
countries had faced, Mahatma Gandhi’s methods of nonviolence, and the influence
of Gandhi’s methods of nonviolence of South Africa.
As you entered the room there were two sections of black
chairs for the audience, a large screen to project Dr. Presbey’s presentation,
along with a podium with a microphone attached to it. The Atkinson room was
brightly lit and filled with about 30 people. The audience included students,
members of the community, and FSU professors. Everyone in attendance had looked anxious to
hear the wonderful words of Dr. Presbey.
Dr. Presbey first began the forum by telling the audience a
little bit about herself. She is a professor of Philosophy at the University of
Detroit Mercy, who teaches Ethics, Peace and Social Justice, and Philosophy of
Religion. Mahatma Gandhi inspired her to learn more about the African culture
and the methods of nonviolence. As Dr.
Presbey lectured through her PowerPoint, just about everyone in the audience was
taking notes and appeared to be following along as she zoomed through each
slide. You can tell that she had thorough knowledge about Africa and the nonviolent
protests led by Gandhi from the way she presented her information. As she
lectured, she appeared to have a strong view on this topic based on how she
delivered her presentation, referring to Gandhi she said, “He wanted to change
people’s minds just in case they thought they were powerless.”
As Dr. Presbey continued through her presentation she talked
about the background of Gandhi and what made him rise against the British
authorities, Nelson Mandela, George Padmore, Johannes Nkosi, nonviolence in
Ghana, and the Fifth Pan African Congress. By the end of Dr. Presbey's presentation, they left the room open for discussion and there were a lot of hands raised. A thirty minute discussion between the audience and Dr. Presbey went on.
This was a very informative forum and if you were not in attendance, then you missed a great presentation.
For more information, please visit: http://www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Gail-Presbey.htm
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