RICHMOND — A 10-year-old boy from the Berkshires visited the United Nations on Jan. 30 to learn about “A Season of Nonviolence.â€
The season, from Jan. 30 to April 4, is a national 64-day educational, media and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating nonviolence as a way to heal, transform and empower lives and communities. Inspired by the 50th anniversary and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world.
Topaz Ross Kelso attends elementary School in Richmond where his favorite subjects are reading, math and science. He is also a singer, who performs solo and with his father (Mark Kelso) and has recently appeared on the Arts and Entertainment channel. He said his interest in nonviolence was sparked through his family. His mother has been attending a spiritual caucus at the U.N. and invited him along to this event.
After taking the train to New York City, Topaz and his mother, Arti, walked to the U.N. building. About 500 youths were in attendance. The Agape International Choir, from Los Angeles, opened the event with music. The Susan Wagner High School presented a conflict resolution and action project for schools. During the presentation, two children presented conflicting views, and others stood up and suggested solutions, quoting words from Gandhi and King. The examples were designed to show how people can courageously intervene to develop social sensitivity.
“Having a conflict resolution connects student to student,†said Arti Roots Kelso. “In conflicts, both the perpetrator and the victim often feel alone and uncared for. Through resolution, these students can become part of the solution rather than the problem.â€
The Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith delivered the keynote address on “A Season of Nonviolence.†Both Roots Kelso and Topaz described the speech as “inspiring.â€
“He spoke of how every little step towards nonviolent solutions is backed by multitudes, all of those who have come before and worked for peace. Consider the lineage of Gandhi and King, and we never need to feel alone,†Roots Kelso said.
The address was followed by a Gandhi-King multimedia tribute, “Bombay to Birmingham,†and a World Peace Flag Ceremony, with youths displaying flags to represent the national community.
Students were invited to sign a ‘Stand Up and Lead, Pledge of Service’ before leaving the event. The pledge asked them to seek to increase their knowledge and practice of nonviolence in their communities. The Youth Peace Network also invited students to join a Web site, youth@worldpeace.org that connects people from around the world to create new ideas for positive change in the world.
Topaz signed the pledge and said he was invited to be an intern with Pathways to Peace.
“When the youth of the world feel they have a voice in the system, they know they matter, because they can participate,†said Michael Johnson, a Pathways to Peace leader. “The more youth who get the message about nonviolence, the more people who will be inspired to create positive change and live more peacefully into adulthood.â€
Topaz, asked what he might like to do when he grows up, said, “Maybe be a scientist and work in a little lab. I don’t want any high-risk jobs like photographing sharks and diving into caves or underground rivers.â€
Right now, he said, his goals are to start his own album, practice clarinet and join the beginners’ band at Richmond School.
Information about the Season for Nonviolence: www.season-for-nonviolence.net . To learn more about Topaz Roots Kelso and his music: www.muddyangel.com .
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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