The purpose of this piece was not to explore Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence in depth. I have studied Dr. King’s writings extensively and taught and lectured on Dr. King for twenty five years. For me his teachings always had three pillars; racial justice, economic equality, and advocacy for peace. He used civil disobedience to provoke violent responses from authorities, but remained critical of Stokely Carmichael and others as they moved toward more violent rhetoric and tactics.

I hope that nothing that I wrote could be interpreted as him passively accepting injustice. For me part of the greatness of Dr. King is how he remained committed to his vision of non-violent change and was willing to direct his prophetic critique at allies as well as opponents.

As a historian I often analyze events over a very long time period. I see progress in the midst of the tumults of 2020. I also see a younger generation of Whites committed to a vision of an inclusive society. I believe Dr. King’s message continues to resonate.

My deepest question is how we can continue the push for justice while providing space for people to heal.

Thanks for your comments.