by Matt Chandler | January 18th, 2010
On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Nonviolence International staff were asked the question, How does MLK, Jr. continue to influence your life? Here are some of their answers.
“I was raised with Dr. King as a role-model. We have many people who are primarily conflict avoiders in our somewhat spoiled society. Dr. King refused to sweep white supremacism and racial segregration under the carpet. He was a fighter, a nonviolent fighter who tried to show his opponents that change would actually be beneficial to all. If the US political leaders had followed the values and policies of Dr. King (and the Congressional Black Caucus) since 1968, we would live in a more just and peaceful world. His dream lives in me.”
- Michael Beer
“As a Palestinian with my people divided over many countries, I feel that Dr. King’s success in promoting equality and justice for African Americans is inspirational. I hope my Palestinian colleagues in Israel and elsewhere will struggle with nonviolent means to end the second-class treatment of Palestinians. Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy was deeply grounded in his religious beliefs which focused on the inherit worth of all people and a refusal to make opponents enemies. I believe strongly in promoting a nonviolent philosophy of truth, dignity and courage. King’s Memphis allies carried around signs that read, “I am a man.” I Am A Palestinian.”
- Mubarak Awad
“On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Iranian activists are following his example, engaging in mass protests, boycotts, strikes and civil resistance to fight for freedom and justice because they do not seek peace that comes at the price of quiet repression. Dr. King is often cited as an authority on peace and reconciliation. But what I find impressive about him is not his willingness to take the safe option of going with the flow, but his relentless challenging of the status quo. He understood that without justice, equality and freedom, the promise of peace rang hollow. He did not see peace narrowly and solely as the lack of violence and war as many activists do today, but peace of the mind, heart and conscious that will only come with justice and equality–peace in every sense of the word. That’s the peace that inspires me, and that is why I follow the example of Dr. King.”
- Sam Sedaei
“I am part of a generation that learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. beginning in elementary school. My teachers introduced him as one of many heroes in American history, but it wasn’t until much later that I was really introduced to Dr. King. I learned he was not only a civil rights leader, but also a strong advocate of the use of nonviolent methods to address conflict and injustice. As we reflect on his life and service this year, I am struck by just how unique he was in our historical tradition, which tends to celebrate people who achieve change through one form of violence or another. Dr. King continues to inspire me to seek an end to injustice wherever it occurs with passion and conviction, but without violence. ”
- Matt Chandler
“The words and actions of Dr. King have inspired major decisions in my life. When my uncle was taken as a political prisoner in 1976 by the military dictatorship in Uruguay, I learned at a young age that those who pursue active nonviolence can be targeted as enemies by the powers that be. This was reconfirmed when learning about the life and witness of Dr. King who said in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech delivered on April 4, 1967, a year before he was assassinated, that the United States is ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.’ In early June 2009, President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras hosted leaders of the hemisphere under the theme ‘Culture of Nonviolence,’ where Dr. King’s spirit was very present. Later that month, President Zelaya was ousted violently in a military coup, and he remains holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where I have learned about his commitment to the principles of nonviolence espoused by Dr. King.”
- Andres Thomas Conteris
We encourage you to add your answers as comments to this post.