Martin Luther King, Jr. photographed by Marion S. Trikosko, 1964. LC-DIG-ppmsc-01269; Library of Congress
Tomorrow, January 15, 2022, is Martin Luther King, Jr.s birthday, and the national holiday celebrating Dr. King’s legacy is this Monday, January 17.
How should we honor Dr. King this holiday weekend? The best way to honor Dr. King this weekend, as on every day throughout the year, is to fight for justice, equality, truth and reconciliation, and to fight against the three evils he called us to fight — racism, poverty and extreme materialism, and militarism and systemic violence — through the power of disciplined nonviolence.
To buoy and bolster us for the sustained nonviolent struggle Dr. King called us to wage — without rest, until we realize freedom and democracy, racial and economic justice — there are many opportunities for inspiration this holiday weekend with special interest for the extended USF community through the following virtual events:
In partnership with the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center and other organizations, the World House Project at Stanford University is convening a MLK Film Festival beginning this evening and running throughout the holiday weekend (Saturday 1/15, Sunday 1/16 and Monday 1/17) with a full menu of amazing films free to all people who register. This virtual event will feature over 30 documentaries, musical performances, interviews and panel discussions that speak to Dr. King’s still unanswered question: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. The films and performances cover a variety of themes, from the history of the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements to James Baldwin and Martin Luther King’s global visions.
To review the rich program of films and webinars, click on this link.
To register, click on this link.
Everyone who registers for the film festival will automatically receive information and links to participate in a webinar series of daily Zoom meetings with the World House Project director Dr. Clayborne Carson who will speak with guests and webinar registrants on a range of topics, from the history of the civil rights movement to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the African American freedom struggles.
Dr. King’s legacy has a strong living presence at our university through the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice and our institute’s Founding Director Emeritus Dr. Clarence B. Jones, Dr. King’s attorney, draft speechwriter, and strategic advisor.
–> Tomorrow, January 16, noon-1pm, Dr. Jones will discuss his close relationship with Dr. King in conversation with Dr. Carson and me.
–> On Monday, January 17, at 2pm-3pm, Dr. Carson will be in conversation with LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund in Atlanta Georgia. We are proud that Ms. Brown is a member of the Leadership Council of the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice.
Dr. Jones and Ms. Brown are awesome figures connecting the Black Freedom Movement from Dr. King to the present day.
I’m excited that these webinars are free and open to everyone registered for the festival. Registered participants will be sent the Zoom link.
The Sunday Show on MSNBC
Dr. Jones will be interviewed by MSNBC Sunday Show host Jonathan Capehart tomorrow morning a little after 11am EST (a little after 8am PST):
Tomorrow (Sunday) evening 1/16 at 8pm Dr. Joseph Marshall will convene a special edition of Street Soldiers Radio to discuss the life and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. with a diverse group of guests including Fr. Barwendé Sané, Jesuit Graduate Fellow, USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice. I am honored to join Dr. Marshall and Fr. Sané in this important roundtable conversation, along with other friends of Alive & Free, Dr. Marshall’s transformative violence prevention program for youth here in San Francisco.
The show be live streaming on Facebook Live starting at 8:06pm PST: https://www.facebook.com/
Our Street Soldiers Radio homepage. The edited tv show and podcast will be posted here after the live stream: https://
A quick promo video of the event as well: https://vimeo.com/
“It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world — it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. (“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968)
The words and actions and life of Rev. King have never been more urgent.
We look forward to seeing you at the movies, webinars and Street Soldiers Radio this weekend — to honor Dr. King, remember what he urged us to do, and gain inspiration for the nonviolent struggle ahead.
Please join us!
Jonathan D. Greenberg
