From the couch on a day off from work at the Umoja Community Education Foundation (UCEF), I witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s unfathomable love. On the federal holiday commemorating King’s contributions to freedom movements, Reverend Dr. Bernice A. King spoke in her father’s honor. She charged the audience with remembering MLK’s commitment to love and justice from The King Center in Atlanta. While listening to her comments and sharing the YouTube video with my sons sitting beside me, I sensed the inauguration irony juxtaposed to the holiday, men, and non-profit organizations such as UCEF.
UCEF is a “critical resource dedicated to enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of African American and other students.” As the Scholar in Residence, I walk, write, and advocate with a team in the shoes of King and other civil rights leaders. To help Black students and other marginalized students succeed, we create spaces for belonging on college campuses, initiate diversity programs, conduct research, and support higher education professionals to work in schools across California and Washington. UCEF operates from a framework of 18 guiding practices, which include an “Ethic of Love.”
The non-violent collision of King’s legacy with the inauguration did not get lost among non-profit organizations such as UCEF, men like me, or women similar to Dr. Bernice A. King. Love and appreciation of diversity lead UCEF coordinators, teachers, staff, counselors, and administrators to support students identifying as and with Black, African, and African-American identities. As King’s daughter discussed her father’s courage to engage in non-violent civil disobedience and acknowledged the cowardly agenda to end diversity programs nationwide, I contemplated my role in supporting Black students and other marginalized populations to achieve academic success.
Deliberately and intentionally, students’ voices are raised and listened to in classrooms, offices, study spaces, and conferences through UCEF programs, services, and curricula. The organization values and highlights the contributions of leaders throughout the African diaspora to encourage more pioneers in education, entrepreneurial, and political spheres. Through writing, researching, teaching, and mentoring, I contribute to the collective efforts of reinforcing ethics of love like the Kings.
During Dr. Bernice A. King’s speech, she articulated how her father embodied love through his life’s work. In response to multiple individuals and oppressive systems, she said her father responded, “The power of a soul force, generated by love.” This energy enabled him and other Black leaders to persist despite oppressive forces in the government. As men, we are responsible for tapping into the essence of King’s love during and after Black History Month.
In these first 100 days, the administration will continue to aggressively “Make America Great Again” by reversing progress gained during the Civil Rights Movement. Inaccurate declarations of male and female genders are only the beginning of misinformed and malicious acts to perpetuate discrimination. We’ve also witnessed immigration raids, the pardons of January 6th insurrectionists, and efforts to eliminate Black history and the “woke” curriculum in schools. Some men in the White House are not concerned with King’s or any version of love possessing the potential to create harmony among diverse Americans.
The Good Men Project exists as an outlet to help men improve. We are good men or people who identify as or with good men, but we are not perfect. Character flaws in our collective humanity are staples of our reality but do not excuse inertia.
Under J. Edgar Hoover’s supervision and the CIA’s Counterintelligence programs, we learned of King’s poor choices regarding extramarital affairs. Such infractions and surveillance did not prevent King from serving his family and fighting for justice with love as his core value.
The personal decisions King made were not excusable; he didn’t always meet the religious ideals expressed in his sermons. But he persisted toward the dream proclaimed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
We must acknowledge our faults, recognize our differences, and build on our sameness to continue the unfinished work of Black leaders to make America great.
If we stay on our couches, listen to influential speakers such as Dr. Bernice A. King, and refuse to respond to injustices, we are part of the problem. We must use our pens, voices, and other resources to support awareness, create coalitions, and present solutions to social problems. In addition to MLK’s emphasis on love, he embraced Gandhi’s non-violent ideas captured in the satyagraha philosophy or “truth-force.”
King and Gandhi’s truths entailed recognizing injustices, embracing the courage to act, and lovingly protesting for freedom.
Good men stand as pillars in their community. They don’t ignore challenges. Instead, they acknowledge inadequacies, adhere to their responsibilities, seek help, and center love in their responses. Consider the following call to action if you read articles on The Good Men Project for inspiration and information to support growth as a husband, father, or community leader.
Don’t limit your appreciation and acknowledgment of Martin Luther King’s love to one month or a day like Valentine’s Day. Follow Dr. King’s and Dr. Bernice A. King’s message to love justice and liberation regardless of the season.
Image Boston Globe in Wikimedia Public Domain
