Washington: The US Department of State on Tuesday (local time) launched Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative.

The two great luminaries Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr were patrons of civil rights and social justice.

The Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the launch of the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative, which brings together 20 emerging young civic leaders from India and the United States, read the US Department of State press release.

It will advance civil rights, social justice, and inclusion on the local, national and international levels by exploring the histories and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. This exchange was championed by the late John Lewis, added the release.

The exchange will open on June 15, 2022, with a one-week virtual program and orientation followed by a two-week academic residency hosted at Alabama A&M University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the University of Alabama.

In addition to classroom learning and discussion, participants will visit civil rights sites in Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia, said the release.

In January 2023, the Indian and US participants will reconvene in India to visit important sites, communities, and organizations that build upon their academic curriculum, which is centred around the academic themes of peace, nonviolence, and conflict resolution and build their leadership capacities.