Thoughts on King

On this national holiday for Dr. King, we have an opportunity to look back at his writings and speeches to see what they tell us about today and to wonder "what if...?" For example, we might reread his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and say "Occupy."

I see connections between Dr. King and today's food movement.
• In my view, today's interest in food justice has a link back to King's last major project, his Poor People's Campaign, which addressed a range of issues, including hunger, poverty, and access to food.
• The food movement's concern for the rights of farm workers reminds me that King always showed up to support workers in their search for economic justice. "All Labor has dignity," he said. (That is the title of a new collection of his writings, just out this week.)
• And when we invoke the term "community," I recall that King was a grassroots organizer who knew that all politics is local, and all change is local; and I remember he spoke of his vision of a 'beloved community.'"
• Lastly, today I learned about a direct connection between King and farming. When he was a young man, King went to Hartford, Connecticut to work on a tobacco farm, and the experience influenced his decision to become a minister and to dedicate his life to social change.

The issues King addressed in his time are still relevant today.