We are having OUR conversation. We are the sane, caring Americans who represent and seek to elevate the best that humans have to offer.
“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear”
—Dr. Martin Luther King
Something important is happening in a few weeks. There is a special day, a holiday coming up. It’s Martin Luther King Day.
We’re having celebrations, having conversations, in small groups everywhere to talk, to think together, to discuss our values and how we live. We are going to talk about ideas and actions and the lessons we’ve learned from Dr. King.
And the lessons we are still learning.
Building the Dream Everywhere, Starting Where YOU Are Today
We are Americans and we share King’s dream, and—just as important—we understand his dream. We aren’t talking about a tepid “Day of Service.” Yes, doing good deeds is important and it IS an expression of who we (and we hope increasingly, more Americans) are.
But Dr. King is about JUSTICE and LOVE and LIFE and effective ways to turn things around, to make the world better, to establish JUSTICE so we can have peace—and a civilization worthy of being called a civilization.
We aren’t there yet, but we are rededicating ourselves to get there.
The idea of this community-based celebration of King and the best of American values originated in a small town, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. I want to share the announcement with you here.
Beginning around 11:30 AM EST on Monday, January 20, 2025, there will be a series of brief gatherings around the country to honor and discuss the legacies of three American icons — President John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated on this date in 1961; President Jimmy Carter, who recently passed away on December 29, 2024; and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday is being commemorated on this date with a Federal holiday. All three made significant and lasting contributions to the causes of peace, civil rights, and human rights, not only here but around the world. Though their lives were also marked by tragedies, controversies, and shortcomings, 1/20/2025 presents a worthwhile opportunity to remember them as representative of some of the best American qualities.
In Wayne County PA, this gathering will be sponsored by Citizens Creative, and will take place at the “Green House” coffee house, at 863 Main Street in Honesdale. All are welcome. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
People are invited to set up similar gatherings in their own communities.
Dr. King’s legacy led me to action. He inspired me. I didn’t stop with him. He led me to look further, at great minds and hearts—many Americans, many from other countries.
I’m old enough to remember when King was shot. I remember our family was driving along the East Coast, and we missed the turn off and, instead of bypassing Washington, D.C., we turned into the city.
There was smoke above the city. There was tension, fear, anger. There was despair. I recall seeing, by the side of the highway, two parked cars—and a black man and a white man were having a fist fight.
I was a child. I was horrified. I was wondering what was wrong with people, with adults. I wasn’t sure I wanted to grow up to live in this world.
The Power of Love and Noncooperation
You don’t need to be a Christian or even religious to recognize the power of the words “love your enemies.” Dr. King rejected hate and embraced love. He aimed to stop the cruel and inhumane tendencies and behaviors in people who lived by bad values. He never sought to harm anyone.
He wanted to bring out the best in people and to remove the worst. He wanted an end to racism, to violence, to division. Clearly, we have not arrived—yet.
WE still believe we can get there. WE are not defeated, nor worried about the foolishness of others, of people who are still violent, still motivated by rage, still strangers to love and ignorant of our common humanity.
WE are in charge of ourselves and our behaviors and actions and WE will set an example in how we live our lives, how we treat each other, how we treat our “enemies.” And we will disempower evil, as King inspired us to, by nonviolent noncooperation.
WE will refuse to obey evil rules and laws. WE choose inclusiveness, kindness, love.
Heroes Inspire and Advance Us
In the modern age, we sometimes make a mistake about heroes. We have this purity test, demanding our heroes be perfect, be angels. We tend to tear them down for their imperfections, for the fact that even with their greatness, they are merely humans.
We reject the purity test. We embrace the best in everyone and anyone.
Indeed, we are happy to remember that our heroes aren’t so different from us. That George Washington didn’t just reject a 3rd term as president, but he also loved to dance and tell jokes. And yes, we are horrified by his misdeeds, his slave holding.
But we won’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. We know about JFK’s shortcomings, but he still had the guts and good sense to advance Civil Rights, albeit slower than we might have hoped. I was personally disappointed when Jimmy Carter reinstated the draft, but overall he showed us what a good human being could be, and what (in his case as a religious Christian) what a good Christian could be.
Other Americans that come to mind as special, as heroes: Cesar Chavez, Frederick Douglass, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Muir, and Fred Rogers. You probably have others that inspire you.
What Are YOU Doing on January 20th?
Why not set up your own small gathering? Start with friends, but post announcements in YOUR neighborhood. Choose a local coffee shop or some other relaxed meeting place for your MLK Day/American Values community gathers.
You can announce your event using social media. Or you might try NextDoor—if you use that. Or go old school and post flyers on telephone polls. Or all of these approaches!
- Pick a place.
- Make an announcement.
- Plan to say a few words to start the conversation.
- Snacks are nice!
- Consider scheduling a follow up. Could this be the start of an ongoing effort, the creation of a new series of values-based communities, nationwide?
We are using the hashtag #real20jan. Please post announcements of your events, along with images and videos using this tag!
We are inspired and energized and together we can reach the dream.
Please follow me on Medium. Learn about the people using nonviolent noncooperation to prevent climate collapse and build a better civilization—worldwide. Visit: WeAreSaners.org.
