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The Mission of The King

To achieve the King's vision of a future that has a nonviolent way of living

Author:Emily Sanchez
Reviewer:James Pierce
Feb 24, 2021243.7K Shares3.2M Views
The King Center strives to build the Beloved Community that my father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so eloquently represented and exercised in his Civil Rights, Peace, and Anti-Poverty Movements leadership in his speeches, sermons, and writings.
The King Center supports the vision of my father for a future in which nonviolence is a way of life. My dad found out that the lack of physical abuse means more than non-violence. Non-violence is a bold, constructive resistance to oppression, not a passive one. It is a way of life that is embodied in thought and deed, a way to conduct yourself in all your affairs.
Nonviolence entails awareness of the opinion of the opposition. As my father said, "We need to learn from the wisdom of the brothers called the opposition." We aspire to achieve a mutually beneficial, "win-win" resolution of the conflict through nonviolence, in which enemies are reconciled and society is restored or established. In a spirit of transparency, it means putting the individual views on the table and negotiating a fair result for both parties. Nonviolence does not try to defeat the enemy or humiliate him, but to gain his friendship. "The aftermath of nonviolence is the development of the Beloved Culture," my father explained."

The King Center

The King Center has adopted a new mission in line with this challenge: to "educate the world about the philosophy and methods of nonviolence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to create the Beloved Community." While the change in mission does not alter the overall course of organization that we have had for the past thirty-three years, it signifies a shift in emphasis in our services and acquisitions.
Our commitment is to launch creative initiatives and programs that, through the use of state-of-the-art communication technologies, promote the teachings of my father. We have already launched initiatives for print media, audiovisual media, and the Internet. We are also exploring the use of innovative digital communications technologies using multiple languages to meet additional millions in other nations.

Incoming Generations

We will teach coming generations through these and other programs about applying the philosophy and strategies of nonviolence of my father as a way of life in the 21st century. We also formed new collaborations with organizations and individuals who have shown a dedication to helping Kingian Nonviolence educate individuals around the world. In their attempts to commemorate and encourage the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., we will continue to approve and advise fellow nonprofits, community-based groups, and government agencies. We have started to create a global network of organizations with missions similar to that of the King Center, and together we will build the dream of my father's Beloved Community.
This is an interesting moment in the history of the legacy of the King. There is a long and difficult path ahead of us. And while my father has not been able to get there with us, we will "get to the Promised Land" and use his ideology and strategies of nonviolence to build the Beloved Group. We will make this beautiful dream, with your support and the blessing of God, a radiant reality.
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Emily Sanchez

Emily Sanchez

Author
James Pierce

James Pierce

Reviewer
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