Where Do We Go From Here?

Dear Troublemakers,

It has been a tough week. I’m not going to make this long. In some ways whatever I have to say about it all has already been said, perhaps even by me.

At our Troublemakers meeting last Thursday, someone brought up MLK’s “Where Do We Go From Here” speech he gave in 1967, one year before he was assassinated. I found myself re-reading it, and encourage you to do the same.

It was brought up because its such a great example of the many time King’s words are taken out of context. Made squishier, softer, more moderate. Made to be life lessons and encouraging and pithy statements - removed completely from their context of white supremacy and racism and poverty and capitalism. One quote in particular was MLK’s “Hate is too big of burden to bear. I have decided to love.”

This could be about anything. But King was clear - this was about the hate he saw in whiteness.

“And I say to you, I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to m…