The 23rd Annual
Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence
Begins January 30th, 2020
January 20th was the day to revisit Dr. King's letter from the Birmingham Jail. The three quotes below are just sampling of his wisdom for us today.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail
“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be... This is the inter-related structure of reality.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Although Martin Luther King, Jr. day is past, the gist of the day is not - January 20th is celebration is a day of service. Let's make that every day!
Here are some suggestions:
1. Educate yourself on the root cause of structural/systemic racism.
2. Volunteer to serve in your local area where systemic racism is evident.
3. Find new ways to connect with at least three other people to explore ways to take action against structural/systemic racism locally and nationally. Helpful sites: Moveon.org, raceforward
4. Silence is not an option. You must speak up against all injustices.
A helpful visual resource on race comes from: Source: Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (2005) “Building a Multi-Ethnic, Inclusive & Antiracist Organization-Tools for Liberation Packet for Anti-Racist Activists, Allies, & Critical Thinkers”)
The graphic above challenges us to see with new eyes the racism still prevalent in our society and to take action against all structural/systemic racism.