As a nation, we celebrate the enduring legacy and influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January. A tireless advocate for civil rights, humanism, and dignity, Dr. King’s principled devotion to nonviolence continues to inspire Americans to this day. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Rio Salado College paid tribute to this great man with an in-person event at our Conference Center.
Titled Honoring Dr. King: A Day of Reflection & Renewal, this event brought together Rio faculty, staff, and community members to discuss Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolence. Moderated by the CommUNITY Engagement Council’s Reina Ferrufino (Min Yve-Louise moderated a virtual version of this event), Honoring Dr. King consisted of a series of group discussions centered around his philosophy of nonviolent activism. These six principles are:
- Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil. It is aggressive spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
- Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation. The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.
- Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people. The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people.
- Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation. Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.
- Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.
- Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win. Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.
Prompted by Ferrufino, the group of attendees broke out into smaller groups to talk about what they thought about these principles. Many of the attendees remarked on both how admirable the principles while also conceding how difficult some of these principles would be to live up to; the third and fourth principles in particular were the subject of some debate.
As the event wound down, the group marveled at how relevant MLK’s philosophies continue to be— especially in times of mounting uncertainty.
Learn More About MLK
The Rio Library has put together an informative guide to celebrate this year’s MLK Day. This guide brings together articles, videos, primary sources, and educational resources focused on Dr. King’s life, work, and lasting impact, and can be used for learning, reflection, and classroom discussion throughout the year.