Celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—and his Nobel Peace Prize of 1964, January 17, 2022 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1440)

As we collectively held our breaths this past weekend when parishioners were held hostage in a Texas synagogue, it reminds us once again that justice and peace are societal goals that we are still hoping for.  Miraculously  for the Jewish victims involved in this latest incident of racial/ethnic/religious etc. hate, the hostages all survived their ordeal.

And today we remember and honor one for whom his mission of peace and social justice for all earned him the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (right).   Pasted below are two excerpts of an article (see hyperlink above) on the Nobel organization’s website about Dr. King and his Nobel Peace Prize:

“Martin Luther King dreamt that all inhabitants of the United States would be judged by their personal qualities and not by the color of their skin. In April 1968 he was murdered by a white racist. Four years earlier, he had received the Peace Prize for his nonviolent campaign against racism. …”

“…At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. …”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s. long history of striving for peace and social justice in his short life are enduring legacies of his life and labors—that culminated with him being honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent forms of protest in support of racial equality and social justice.

Yet as events of this past weekend and these past recent years show—with violence against non-white, non-Christian citizens and others of this nation—such as George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin,  and too many others–there is still much work yet to be done, here and around the world.

And I have often heard the phrase think globally and act locally.  So we look to our neighbors and our local communities for ways that we can help and do good for others—even as we, ourselves, strive to be good neighbors, good friends, and good citizens.  We donate our time, our talents, and our treasure to help those in need, and to help those for whom social justice is still an elusive goal.

Wishing you all peace and love, Grati  ;->