Published on nj.com January 20, 2025
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly championed a consequential and historically unprecedented social change movement against what he referred to as the “Triple Evils” of Racism, Poverty, and War-Violence.
The hallmark of King’s life work was imagining, envisioning, and indeed “dreaming” of a “World House” in which the odyssey of a “Beloved Community” evolves as a citadel of truth, peace, justice, equity, and equality.
Six foundational principles undergird King’s nonviolent philosophy. These principles of Kingian Nonviolence, intended for “courageous people,” are rooted in the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Biblical teachings, and other influencers.
Dr. King enlightened New Jerseyans about the “Poor People’s Campaign” during his March 27, 1968, speech at the historic Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Jersey City.
He recognized that we are all interconnected. From Paterson to Camden, Newark to Bergen County, our people of the South Shore, newcomers and those with linkages to colonial heritage, decedents of the great indigenous Lenape people, and yes, those harnessed by the legacy of enslavement. We New Jerseyans have a calling to serve. We are all striving toward freedom, not for ourselves only, but for the greater societal well-being.
In New Jersey, Dr. King challenged us to join a pilgrimage against the “triple evils,” witnessing both suffering and faith and offering a “Gift of Love.” All New Jerseyans can campaign against racism, poverty, violence, and all forms of detrimental treatment of our fellow citizens. Our stride is indeed toward freedom. The spirit of the King National Holiday is for us all to “try to help somebody, to love somebody,” in the words of Dr. King himself, and reach the elusive promised land.
In his last book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” King offers a “Testament of Hope.”
I stand with Dr. King’s dream and a testament to the greatness of the people of our state – our citizens who strive for the fruits of our interconnected Garden State. On the King National Holiday, we remember the courageous leadership of many in New Jersey who dared to “stride toward freedom.” On behalf of our richly deserving people, let’s walk together, worship together, and stride toward community building in our Jersey homeland. The journey starts with you!
Ronald L. Quincy is the former executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia and a Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers New Brunswick’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy.