Taking a Nonviolent Stand for Justice

Published January 14, 2007 in the Lompoc Record
Faith in the Public Square

We honor this weekend the memory and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil Rights movement, which he led, helped end Jim Crow laws and rendered segregation illegal. Most of all, it affirmed the equality of every person in this country. His opposition to all forms of segregation and his affirmation of human dignity continue to influence American life to this day. Although he died of an assassin's bullet, his example lives on whenever we seek to emulate his life and message.

Taking his cues from Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus of Nazareth, King engaged the “powers that be.” Choosing the way of nonviolence meant that his was a revolution without guns or even stones. Utilizing marches and sit-ins, he brought a moral force to the debates of the day. He didn't choose to seek change violently, but neither did he passively acquiesce to the societal abuses of the day. Not everyone embraced his methods. Some thought they were too slow, while others thought they went too far and too fast. Yet, Martin Luther King remains a model for us, showing us that nonviolence can achieve the aims we pursue. (to read the rest of the column, click here)

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