Marya Mann : Blog : Facing Fascism With Love — Through ArtWavEs

Facing Fascism with Love - Through ArtWavEs

5 Principles for Moral Resistance

Dear Noble Friend, Visionary, and Cultural Creative,

In a time when violence is unfolding in plain sight—when people are being killed in the streets, when fear and force are being normalized—we want to say this clearly: The world needs more than outrage.

We need a deeper capacity for peace.

For fifteen years, ArtWavEs has been doing something quietly radical: teaching children how to resist violence without becoming violent themselves.

We call this work Children for Peace.

Long before current shameless authoritarian policies were making America into something unrecognizable, we were already teaching the skills that make fascism fail — not through slogans, but through practice: creativity, emotional regulation, empathy, cooperation, courage, resilience, and joy, learned in the body and lived in community.

We stand in the lineage of Martin Luther King Jr., who showed the world that love is not passive. Love is disciplined. Love is moral resistance in action.

What follows are the Five Principles for Moral Resistance, taught not as theory, but through ArtWavEs peace arts practices with children.

Five Principles of Moral Resistance

Taught Through Creative Practice in the lineage of Martin Luther King Jr.

1. Refuse Obedience to Unjust Power
“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

Through ArtWavEs:

Children learn early that creativity is not about pleasing authority—it is about listening inwardly. When a child chooses their own colors, shapes, movements, and symbols, they practice agency without aggression.
• Builds confidence rooted in inner authority
• Strengthens decision-making without defiance
• Teaches discernment rather than obedience

Developmental gift:
Resilience grounded in self-trust.

2. Interrupt Violence Without Reproducing It

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence.”

Through ArtWavEs:

Movement, painting, rhythm, and ritual allow children to discharge big emotions safely—before fear and anger harden into aggression or collapse.
• Whole-body movement integrates stress responses
• Art externalizes feeling without blame
• Children learn: I can feel strongly and still choose care

Developmental gift:
Emotional regulation without suppression.

3. Expose Ignorance Without Contempt

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Through ArtWavEs:

Collaborative art teaches children to work alongside difference without ridicule. They learn curiosity instead of mockery, presence instead of dominance.
• Encourages empathy through shared creation
• Strengthens listening across differences
• Develops whole-brained thinking—logic and imagination together

Developmental gift:
Social intelligence without shaming.

4. Build the Alternative While You Resist

“The end is the creation of the Beloved Community.”

Through ArtWavEs:

Children don’t just imagine peace—they practice it. Shared murals, silk paintings, peace flags, and circle rituals model cooperation as lived experience.
• Reinforces belonging and mutual care
• Teaches leadership as shared responsibility
• Makes peacemaking tangible and joyful

Developmental gift:
Hope rooted in lived experience.

5. Hold Power for Love

“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.”

Through ArtWavEs:

Children learn that power is not control—it is creative capacity. When they see their art calm a space, bless a gathering, or unify a group, they experience power as service.
• Builds confidence without domination
• Aligns creativity with care
• Trains ethical imagination early

Developmental gift:
Peacemaking as embodied leadership.
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ArtWavEs teaches children what King taught a nation: that love, practiced daily, becomes protection—for the self, for community, and for the future.

You are invited to be part of this work.

• Volunteer with Children for Peace
• Learn to lead ArtWavEs events in your own community through teacher training
• Collaborate by joining our open board and support making peace by making peace flags
• Donate to help this work grow and travel where it is needed most.

Donate now: SUPPORT CHILDREN FOR PEACE: LOVE IN ACTION

Learn more & collaborate: VOLUNTEER, TEACHING, AND BOARD OPPORTUNITIES