King’s words ring true today

In the days leading up to Martin Luther King Day – the Raleigh News & Observer republished this editorial which was one of the newspaper’s most shared pieces in 2018 and again in 2019. It’s a reminder that the civil rights icon was not as appreciated during his lifetime as he should have been or as he is today. Appreciation for King has only grown with time. Here are a few quotes from King, whose words ring true today to a nation that is so politically divided.

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.
• “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” – Montgomery, AL, 1963.
• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – “Strength to Love,” 1963
• “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” – Washington, DC, 1968.
• “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.” – “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.
• “Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.” – “Love in Action, 1962-63.
• “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Atlanta, GA, 1967