first monument given for PEACE and NONVIOLENCE on the mall.
This in no way is a criticism or negative reflection on the other existing monuments. They all deserve to be there, just like the monument to Uncle M.L. But the monument to Uncle M.L. will provide future generations an example of a citizen leader who led, fought and won a war without ever having fired a shot. Future generations will see an army of Black and White, male and female, and old and young who met the violence of attack dogs, water hoses, bombings, gunfire and lynchings. With the nonviolence of passive resistance, peace and love for one’s fellow human being, future generations will know it is possible to meet violence with nonviolence and win. They will know that conflicts can be resolved without use of weapons, that rights don’t have to be achieved at the point of a gun.
This monument will be a gathering place for people of all hues, any ethnicity and any religious orientation or no religious orientation. This monument will be both a reminder and an example to people around the world demonstrating how to change the negative aspects of their societies, while preserving the best, and most importantly, preserving life and the infrastructure needed to maintain it.
The National Holiday commemorating Uncle M.L.’s life has become much more than a day of hero worship of a man. It has become a day where millions of Americans are dedicated to performing acts of service to others. In fact, it’s the only holiday on the American calendar whose official designation states that it is not a day for play but a day of service to others. Because of what Uncle M.L. did as a citizen leader and because of the principles that he fought for and stood for, this monument will follow that tradition and become more than a memorial to the man but an inspirational NONVIOLENT path to a more caring, a more peaceful and a more just society.
As one who shares DNA with a guy who I personally consider the greatest leader of the 20th century, it’s not the brick and mortar on the mall that gives me the greatest sense of pride, but the lesson that it conveys, CHANGE THROUGH NONVIOLENCE.
Congratulations Uncle M.L. on a life well lived!
Isaac Newton Farris Jr. is the new president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference co-founded by his uncle – Martin Luther King Jr.
About Post Author
