We live during a time of great division in our society. Whether division over race, politics, and/or class, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would ask us to take up the radical act of finding redemption and reconciliation by employing love. Yes, L.O.V.E.. In particular, the Love of thy neighbor.
Dr. King adopted “The Beloved Community” from philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce and the author/Buddhist Belle Hooks, including the reference in many of his speeches in 1957. King defined the “Beloved Community” as a society where people recognize the value of others and are motivated by love and compassion. He envisioned a world where racism and discrimination would be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. King believed that nonviolence was the only way to achieve the Beloved Community. He said that the aftermath of violence leads to bitterness and brutality, while nonviolence leads to reconciliation and the creation of the Beloved Community.
Some would argue Dr. King is amongst the greatest America has ever produced. A man, like too few, willing to die for a cause greater than himself. Some would argue that America has only been a true Democracy for 60 years, coinciding with the passing of the Civil Rights Law of 1964. Whether you are an African-American who has witnessed the erosion of gains earned through the civil rights movement or a European-American who feels like the world is changing too quickly, King would argue against the violent rhetoric that informed our recent election cycle and distorted notions of WOKE and Critical Race Theory by intervening with the nonviolent advance of the “Beloved Community”. No doubt, he’d offer the same for Native, Hispanic and Asian Americans questioning exactly when was America Great? I imagine King would also have compassion for poverty stricken white communities who feel disenfranchised once the racial dog whistles fade out and leave them still in their sunken impoverished state. He’d acknowledge that all are deserving of equality, dignity and humanity. A community wherein we appreciate the differences amongst our patch quilt American democratic experiment and seek a higher ground where opportunity, acceptance and belonging thrive.
As the Executive Director of Radio Milwaukee, I’ve shared the concept of the “Beloved Community” with my staff at minimum on a quarterly basis. Through music and stories created for a culturally open-minded community, Radio Milwaukee is a catalyst for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged Milwaukee. No easy mission statement considering our organic social circles and social conditioning. To bring our mission to life, we have to desire a deeper curiosity and engagement with the other in pursuit of a love for one another. As you honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., know that while his dream remains deferred, our individual acts of love, redemption, and reconciliation are a pathway to E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one).
Maxie C Jackson III
Radio Milwaukee (WYMS)
WBA Diversity Committee
