The King Center

1/20/25 - MLK Day

A few weeks ago, I was doing some more research on nonviolent action and, of course, sought out the father of nonviolence in our country Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m grateful for the lessons nonviolentaction365 has taught me, and grateful for The King Center. Dr. Bernice A. King has done a beautiful job keeping her father’s legacy and work alive through The King Center. 

Included in the concepts I learned: The King Center considers poverty to be an act of violence. I have been thinking about this nonstop. 

Poverty is an act of violence. 

When you really start to think about this, and when you let it infiltrate everything you do and all of the things you see, you begin to witness it everywhere. Many systems are set up to keep people down. Only the special, or the lucky, are able to get ahead and have a happy life with their basic needs met.

Too many people are stuck in the violent sphere of poverty. 

Poverty crosses all racial and political boundaries, and is one of the saddest things we do as a human race. The Almighty Dollar God is ruthless. It awards very few at the expense of many. It has its disciples, It has its followers. It has its battles and its dungeons. It must keep its workforce hungry for nice things, and unable to attain them. It requires ugliness, darkness, and division. 

Poverty is one of Dr. King’s Triple Evils. The other two are Racism, and Militarism (which includes “war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime…”)

Today a friend sent an article about Dr. King written by John Blake from CNN. In his article, What MLK Knew that Progressives Keep Forgetting, Mr. Blake claims King rejected narratives of ‘good vs. evil,’ but the King center teaches of three evils. So necessarily, I have been thinking of these words and these concepts all day.

It’s no surprise I think the word “good” is applicable, appropriate, and needs to be used widely. Showingupforgood takes lots of knowing what’s good. 

I have been thinking of the word evil all day. 

Poverty

Racism

Militarism

These are evils.

Words are powerful. We should reserve the word evil for specific circumstances, and utilize the word darkness in many other cases. Thank you, John Blake for the thoughtful contemplation of words, and thank you dear Cathy for always knowing my heart.

Darkness is the opposite of light and goodness. 

Goodness works in transparency, knowledge, trust, love, community, kindness, and so many more things we each have inside of us. When evil (yes, I meant to use it here) harnesses the forces of hatred, division, and oppression its victims can sometimes be good people living in darkness.

These good people may not know better. They have been used, abused, and fooled. Some are deliberately caged in the dungeons of poverty, and are being constantly held there by distractions and yearnings for a better life. Some are captured by the exhilarating rush of hate and division. Some are trapped because their church and their faith is tied to their community, so they don’t make waves. Some have been fooled into thinking hate is purpose. Some are simply too scared to speak up. Some are just doing what they're shown or told.

Triple Evils are keeping people from realizing their dreams. The Triple Evils keep us scared, sad, forlorn, depressed; all of this can lead to despair. 

The Triple Evils are currently thriving worldwide. 

Many good people are trapped in the cycles of poverty, racism, and militarism. These good people are not evil, but they cannot see outside of the darkness their oppressors have shoved them into. They are trapped and kept down from many angles. 

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Gratefully, I went to bed with hope last night because I joined the Redwine.blue event, and learned how much organization is underway. Heather Cox Richardson and Katie Paris and the entire crew gave me hope. Now I know we have much in place. Now I know how big we are. Now I know how many good people are working night and day battling the Triple Evils. I have hope.

On this fateful day, I offer you love and peace. Heather Cox Richardson, and John Pavlovitz have each taught us recently that joy is an act of resistance. So, love hard. Work hard on all things hope and progress. Gather together. Do good. See good. Hear good. Fight for good. Showupforgood. And always remember love wins. It ACTUALLY DOES.

Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in. - Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Much love to you all xoxox