Freeport students create posters of peace, invoking spirit of Gandhi

Freeport public schools are encouraging students to promote peace through creating posters that draw on the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi — and will distribute about 7,000 of the colorful placards throughout the district.

The district, under the leadership of a man believed to be the first Indian American school district superintendent on Long Island if not all of New York State, plans to hand out the posters on Wednesday to all students and staff.

The event underscores that even more than 150 years after his birth in India, Gandhi is still as relevant as ever, organizers said.

“More than ever we have to be promoting peace and not violence, justice and harmony,” said Superintendent Kishore Kuncham.

Arvind Vora, who helps lead the Medford-based nonprofit Shanti Fund, which paid for the posters, said recent mass shootings in Texas and Buffalo, along with earlier ones in Colorado and Connecticut, show that Gandhi’s message is still needed. So does the war in Ukraine, racial tensions and other issues, he said.

“Gandhi is like Martin Luther King. He is indispensable. We ignore him at our own risk,” said Vora, who is also an immigrant from India.

The Freeport school district had students make drawings reflecting Gandhi and his ideals. Then one was chosen from each of the eight schools in the district, and reproduced on one side of the poster.

There is one artist from every grade, from kindergarten through grade 12. Their artwork shows images such as doves, peace symbols, a rainbow and a portrait of a bespectacled Gandhi.

The other side of the poster shows a statue of Gandhi, dressed in his trademark dhoti loincloth, a shawl and sandals. He is carrying a cane.

The district plans a presentation of the posters on Wednesday during an event to which they have invited the consul general of the Indian consulate in Manhattan.

Vora said he hopes each child will hang the poster in their bedroom or in their home, they way they do with favorite musicians or athletes. While it is a small gesture, he hopes it pays off in the long term.

“We may not be able to see the fruits” immediately, Vora said. “It may take 30 years. It may take 50 years. But somebody has to start someplace.”

Kuncham, who took over Freeport in 2009, also said he hopes the posters help promote Gandhi’s ideals. “The message of peace in however way we spread it is so important,” he said. “People don’t have to get to that stature” of Gandhi to have an impact. “We all can be Gandhis in our way.”