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by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune CAMBRIDGE, Mass.,—The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue launched its 2020 Dialogue Nights series on Jan. 31 with “We Can Do It! Challenging Fear With Courage.” To open, Ikeda Center Program Manager Lillian I welcomed the 45 young Bostonians in attendance, saying that one quote in particular from

In a historic first, SGI discussion meetings were conducted in the country of Kazakhstan. In this sparsely populated nation, which shares borders with China and Russia, members determined to finally meet despite having to travel long distances. The first gathering was held in celebration of Soka Gakkai Day last May 3 with five SGI members

by Ellen SotoSpecial to the Tribune MIAMI, Jan. 28—On the heels of the SGI’s 45th anniversary, SGI-USA youth representatives Jenice Maza, Luis Malespin and Pedro “Pepe” Barilari presented SGI President Ikeda’s 2019 Peace Proposal at Miami Dade College. Hosted by Michael Lenaghan, Endowed Chair of Excellence Professor, and Stephen Nesvacil, Coordinator of The Earth Ethics Institute,

Lines from the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech reverberated in every corner of the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium on Jan. 20, when some 500 community members gathered for the 35th Annual Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event’s theme, “Now Is the Time to Make Real the Promises of Democracy,” was explored

For the Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden marathon relay race, participants say the difference between 10th and 11th place is as vast as heaven and earth, because only those who finish in the coveted top 10 qualify for next year’s competition. From Jan. 2–3, millions of people in Japan watch this famous race between qualifying university track teams,

by Mary Ishimoto MorrisSpecial to the Tribune WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 14—What makes dialogue so special? Such was the topic of passionate, award-winning conflict resolution scholar-practitioner Susan H. Allen’s lecture, “Peacemaking Dialogue as a Living Practice,” held at the SGI-USA Washington, D.C., Buddhist Center. The gathering was hosted by the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers

The new exhibition includes her visit to Soka University in Japan to receive an honorary doctorate. A new major exhibition on the life of Rosa Parks at the Library of Congress (LOC) in Washington, D. C., features her May 1994 visit to Soka University in Japan to receive an honorary doctorate. The panel, which features

by Mitch Bogen Special to the Tribune CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 25—The 15th annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, held at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, was groundbreaking. Called “Can Dialogue Save the World? Exploring the Power of Human Connections,” it was the first Ikeda Forum to be fully led by young people.

JANUARY 1 WORLD TRIBUNE The Year of Victory for Each SGI-USA Member! The SGI-USA announced several key objectives for 2019, the Year of Soka Victory—Toward Our 90th Anniversary: 1. Engage in an unprecedented number of home visits and personal guidance sessions.2. Hold youth discussion meetings by chapter in July and gather 25,000 youth nationwide.3. Actively

The Soka Gakkai-affiliated Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (TFAM) has loaned “Boat Lying at Low Tide” (1881), a painting from one of its permanent collections, for the exhibition “Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature,” held at the Denver Art Museum from Oct. 20, 2019–Feb. 2, 2020. This event bills itself as the “most comprehensive U.S. exhibition

SGI President Ikeda’s dialogue partner and president/founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, David Krieger, was presented the Soka Gakkai Award of Honor on Oct. 20 at the peace foundation’s 36th annual “Evening for Peace” in Santa Barbara, California. The award, signed by President Ikeda and Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada, states, “Sharing the aims

Soka Gakkai president meets with the president of India and discusses the Soka Gakkai’s efforts for peace. Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and his delegation met with President of India Ram Nath Kovind at the president’s official residence in New Delhi on Sept. 23. President Harada first conveyed a message from SGI President Ikeda to

On Sept. 23, the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates released a statement on the urgent need to prevent nuclear war. In the document, the laureates expressed their support for the campaign Back From the Brink (which the SGI endorsed) and other international efforts to reduce the likelihood of nuclear war, including the Treaty on

On the morning of Sept. 28, SGI President and Mrs. Ikeda made their first visit to the recently completed Soka Gakkai World Seikyo Center, located in Shinanomachi, Tokyo. They chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and conducted gongyo in the fourth-floor Justice Hall, praying for the great development of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s “newspaper of the people.”

by David BarolCentral Territory Bureau Chief CHICAGO, Oct. 1—Can our prejudicial thinking be overcome? A definite “yes,” asserted Ceasar McDowell, who explored this outlook during the 2019 Ikeda Lecture, “Dialogue in Demographic Complexity: Overcoming Our Discriminatory Consciousness.” Professor McDowell, who teaches the Practice of Community Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, started his talk

This report was adapted from an article by Religious News Service. NEW YORK, Sept. 21–24—SGI youth representatives joined a series of events in New York City as part of Climate Week. In the run-up to the U.N. Climate Action Summit, the Japan Times published the SGI article “Winning the Climate Change Challenge: What One Person

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 26–28—The 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference on Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities included the workshop “Amazon Frontline Report—Challenges and Partnerships for Sustainability in Manaus, Brazil’s Amazonas State.” The SGI and the Soka Institute for Environmental Studies and Research of the Amazon were among the organizations that co-sponsored the

Soka University of America (SUA) is ranked No. 27 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by the 2020 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The university also places No. 7 in Best Value Schools and No. 9 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (enrolling and graduating large proportions of economically disadvantaged students awarded with

by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 16—Eager to explore the meaning of friendship and its power to help us overcome life’s challenges, nearly 50 Boston-area university students and young professionals joined the Ikeda Center’s fourth Dialogue Nights event of 2019, “Friendship: An Antidote to Despair?” In welcoming remarks, Ikeda Center Program Manager

TOKYO, Aug. 2—The Brazilian university Federal University of Sergipe conferred an honorary doctorate on SGI President Ikeda for his efforts to foster global citizens and his contributions to peace. Federal University of Sergipe President Angelo Roberto Antoniolli attended the ceremony, held at Soka University. To date, President Ikeda’s honorary doctorates and professorships number over 386