In a week spent celebrating the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. and his works for humanity, perhaps it seems ironic to have felt a bit discouraged about the current state of our world. I have been told that I should be overjoyed to know that his messages have been heard by millions and we have come much further in the quest for racial equality.

Yet, I see these accomplishments as mere stepping stones and know we have fallen far short of reaching Dr. King’s goals. I discovered that some of his lesser-known sentiments which have been almost completely ignored by politicians and the media were again being proclaimed to the public. Fifty-five people were arrested on the steps to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations as they called for our nation to “follow the legacy of peacemaking begun by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Many have criticized these protesters as “misguided” in the state of current events. Even those who agree with Dr. King’s statement that “the greatest purveyor of violence is my own country” feel that we are facing a new enemy and believe that Dr. King would support the bombing of Afghanistan. However, believing that Afghan civilian death tolls, which have surpassed the count of dead found in the World Trade Center, would be justifiable in King’s eyes is simply wrong.

The goals of myself and my colleagues in Time for Peace have been to call for a nonviolent resolution to ridding the world of terrorism, but we feel that we are doing our part to carry on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this week when we remember his statement that “our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism and militarism.” It is clear that he hoped for more than nonviolence in his own nation when he wrote his “Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam” after refusing meals and stating that “nothing will ever taste any good for me until I do everything I can to end that war.”

Although I now write this letter under criticism from many students and community members, I have no qualms about continuing to call for nonviolence as a solution to global conflicts even without simplistic, ready-made tactics comparable to those of military action. I apologize to those in the community for whom I have caused discomfort with these words and to those whose letters to Time for Peace may not have received adequate responses.

For those who believe that our work will prevent our nation’s healing, consider another statement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had.”

I urge all to join in carrying on the legacy of Dr. King as we remember his work in this time of national tragedy, sidestepping the easy “solutions” which have already led to the murders of thousands of innocents, at home and across the world.

Matt Denner

Freshman

Liberal arts and sciences