In her keynote for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and the youngest child of the civil rights leader, called for nonviolent activism grounded in compassion and love, especially in turbulent times.
“Fear is real, just like anger is real,” King said in a Jan. 28 fireside chat that drew about 200 people to the Hanover Inn and another 200 viewing the livestream.
“But you can act in spite of the fear. We’ve seen that over and over again. And so I’m going to challenge everybody in this room, because even though evil things may not be present in your environment right now, they could become present, and we don’t want to wait til then. We want to be able to ensure that the universe knows that people of good will are not going to accept evil.”
In keeping with the theme of this year’s celebration, “The Urgency of Now—A Time for Truth and Action,” King spoke with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, about her parents’ legacy and her own efforts to teach nonviolent activism worldwide.
Welcoming King to Dartmouth at a reception before the talk, President Sian Leah Beilock noted that in 1962, President John Dickey invited Dr. King to speak on campus. “He challenged our students, called on them to leave their comfort zones and engage with the world, especially those with different viewpoints. And 64 years later, that message has never been more important,” Beilock said. “We believe, as Dr. King did, that dialogue is an essential part of our democracy. That debate and persuasion are tools for social change. That we as a community are at our best when we have the most talented young people from different backgrounds, representing different perspectives, championing diversity in all its forms.”
In answer to a question posed by Taylor about why civil rights legislation is still necessary, King said diversity and racial justice cannot be taken for granted.
“Until we have embedded in us a global consciousness of valuing the dignity and worth of every human being, regardless of who they are, we are always going to need some protections, period, across the board,” King replied. And while she acknowledged the power of technology to bring people together, she also recalled her father’s call for bridging “the chasm between our scientific and technological growth and our moral and ethical growth.”
King earned both her master of divinity and JD from Emory University. Through the King Center, founded by her mother, Coretta Scott King, she has launched innovative programs to educate youth and adults throughout the world in the nonviolent principles and practices modeled by her parents. Such initiatives include The Beloved Community Talks, a conversation platform about difficult racial and social justice issues shaping our world.
“You’ve got to be aligned with truth and compassion,” King said. “We’ve got to cultivate these things in our personal lives. And so I always tell people, let’s work from the inside out. The reason my father was effective is because he cultivated an inner person that could withstand what was happening outside.”
Despite daunting obstacles, King said she holds out hope for a brighter future.
“This is not the first time humanity has faced dark, ugly, evil times. And yes, there are casualties, unfortunately. But we make it through when we keep our eyes open, when we stand in truth, when we recognize that we collectively have the power to make change, we can do it,” she concluded, to a standing ovation.
At a book signing after the talk, government major Dylan Dunson ’26 said she was inspired by King’s call for inner strength and peace.
“Going into public service, hopefully, I think it’s important to understand that before you advocate out in the world, you have to be OK within yourself,” she said.
Another student, making introductory remarks before King took the stage, told the audience that her activism was sparked by the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“I came to the understanding that violence rarely appears in isolation,” said Hawa Hamidou Tabayi ’26. “Rather, it’s a cyclical passing from body to body, generation to generation, each time presenting itself as singular, each time insisting it is inevitable.”
Now, she said, with the focus on undocumented immigrants, Americans are pulling on a metaphorical rope as they try to answer the age-old question of what it means to be American.
“So to everyone in this room, I say, take hold of that rope. Tighten your grip and pull, pull towards your loved ones, pull towards your friends. Pull towards your neighbors. Pull towards those whose lives are bound up with yours, whether you can see it or not pull, because as Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy reminds us, fear cannot hold forever.”
In addition to King’s keynote, Dartmouth’s annual MLK celebration has included an employee breakfast, a multi-faith celebration, an awards luncheon, lectures, films, and exhibits. The final event, on Feb. 6 at Loew Auditorium, will be a screening of Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi, about the U.S. incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
