Forward Into Memory: Korea's March 1st Movement and The Red Thread of Peace History
Description
March 1st is a sacred day in Korea as it marks the moment when, in 1919, citizens throughout the peninsula organized a widespread non-violent and democratic uprising against their colonizers, imperial Japan. Long before the division of the country into "North" and "South," citizens from Pyonyang to Seoul to Cheonan, participated in the March 1st Movement. In this show, which marks the 102nd anniversary of the March 1st Movement, we examine the Movement through a narrative that transcends the typical interpretation of the Movement as a nationalist, anti-Japanese Movement for Korean Independence. Moving beyond the description of the Movement as one for "independence" and "self-determination," we discuss the March 1st Movement within the deeper context of the international Peace through Law Movement. Viewed as a moment in the larger "Red Thread" of Peace-through-Law, we discuss how the Movement was timed with the "organization of the world" and the development of international justice in the aftermath of World War 1, and focus on some of the key ideas - such as reconciliation - expressed in the March 1st 1919 Declaration. We also discuss some of the morally energetic individuals involved in the 3.1 Movement.
United States
