Peace Messenger

In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech, the Rev. Martin Luther King talked about peace as his nation was getting bogged down in the quagmire of the Vietnam War.

King urged people to “sacrifice” for peace. He said:

We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say, "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace.

King’s words are as significant today as in the 1960s. The nation is now engaged in two long and violent military occupations, and the peace movement—if there really is one these days—is floundering. Where is the sacrifice for peace today? What would King think about the military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan?

What would he think about the huge wealth disparity in this country today as unemployment remains high and families are suffering?

As we celebrate King’s life Monday, we can remember his work encompassed a broad range of moral imperatives from racial equality to economic justice to peace. His vision is needed now as much as ever.

Here are some local MLK Day events.