Friday, January 18, 2008

MLK Readings

Per Dr. Franklin's suggestion, for MLK Day you should hold a reading or re-reading of these three writings by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

". . . In advancing our historical commitment to embracing a global mandate, there are three readings from the Morehouse College King Papers Collection that I would like every student, faculty member, staff person and trustee to read. First, King’s early sermon, “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.” I believe this was a foundational message for him and many sermons emanated from it, including his Nobel Peace lecture.

Second, the justly famous, “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” [Also in your Rachels' The Right Thing to Do] It illustrates what a Morehouse Man can produce when he is suddenly, rudely locked away from the world without books, and must draw from his own inner resources. What could you produce if you were incarcerated unjustly for a week or two? King’s letter is an extraordinary moral treatise and response to racism and ignorance and would inspire the students who protest today in Jena, La. We pay tribute to them.

And third, the last chapter of his final book titled, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? That short chapter is titled, “The World House.”"