"Loving Your Enemies"(by MLK)

As we mark the MLK Day, we'll read and discuss "Loving Your Enemies," a speech delivered by Dr. King on November 17, 1957. It can be accessed from various sources online, including at the following link below:

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church

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Some questions worthy of further exploration:

• Who is the intended audience of the speech, and has he pursued the audience?

• How does the speech resonate, if at all, during these uncertain and turbulent times?

• How does this speech, centered around the issue of ideological polarization, fit into the current narrative, especially in our divided country?

• Do you find the moral, philosophical, and religious references to be relevant and persuasive?

• How is the definition of "love" from the speech different compared to the ordinary and conventional notion of this term?

• What are some the universal or timeless virtues and principles that emerge from the speech?

• How can we adopt the core principals from the speech (e.g., forgiveness and redemption) to the current state of hyperpartisanship and severe ideological divide (e.g., the culture wars), if at all?

• Finally, do you find his legacy based on peaceful, nonviolent movement for justice and fairness to be more relevant than ever?

IMPORTANT: please note the required reading assignment, if you wish to attend.

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Previous MLK Day discussions:

▨ "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (Jan. 2019) (https://www.meetup.com/NYC-Politics/events/257326277/)

▨ "Beyond Vietnam" (Jan. 2020) (https://www.meetup.com/NYC-Politics/events/267382582/)

▨ "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (Jan. 2021) (https://www.meetup.com/NYC-Politics/events/275543234/)

▨ "The Other America" (Jan.2022) (https://www.meetup.com/NYC-Politics/events/283178339)