When a group of white and African American integrationists entered a St. Augustine, Fla. segregated hotel pool in 1964, the hotel manager poured acid into it.
AP Photo
Dorothy Cotton never publicly spoke about her intimate relationship with King. But no woman – not even King’s wife – was closer to the civil rights icon during the last years of his life.
According to FBI memos, King witnessed and encouraged a rape in a hotel room.
AP Photo
King was once thought of as a saint beyond reproach. It eventually emerged that he was a womanizer. But we now have to ask the unthinkable: Did King enable abuse?
On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., addresses marchers during his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
AP/File
Publication was justified of information from the FBI that Martin Luther King Jr. witnessed and celebrated a woman’s rape, writes a historian, who warns the FBI had long wanted to destroy King.
Several 2020 presidential candidates have called for reparations for slavery in the U.S.
AP Photo/Douglas Healey
Reparations has emerged as a hot topic among Democratic candidates hoping to replace Trump in 2020. But until now, the issue has only rarely received national attention.
Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
AP Photo/Richard Vogel
Devotees from many parts of the world are visiting the ailing 92-year-old monk, who has retired to a Buddhist temple. He taught how the practice of mindfulness could be combined with daily actions.
Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker during a news interview in 2004.
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Rev. Walker worked closely with King and would be the one to bring King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail to public attention. He was the only one who could understand King’s handwriting.
Several outstanding women were nominated, but Rainbow Murray, an adviser to the series, says the public vote showed how we’re still more inclined to recognise male achievement.
Black Americans were most affected by the 2009 recession.
Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi
It’s been a decade since the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and blacks still haven’t fully recovered financially, leaving them unprepared if another recession hits.
Howard Thurman’s image on Howard University chapel’s stained glass window.
Fourandsixty from Wikimedia Commons
Howard Thurman, a mentor to MLK, first met Gandhi during a visit to India in 1936. He came to understand nonviolence as a force more powerful than hate that had the power to transform the world.
Educators can use story-telling to make students more politically aware.
Rido/Shutterstock.com
Election campaigns inspire hope, but they can also quickly lead to political despair. A scholar says young citizens can learn how to take positive action and stay hopeful.
On and off the field, Rachel Robinson was a pillar of emotional support.
AP Photo/Harry Harris
Rachel was by Jackie’s side during his most trying moments. Throughout a journey that required self-control, grace and perseverance, she was the unsung hero.
Thurman taught King Jr. that spiritual cultivation was necessary to take on the intense work of social activism.
AP File Photo
Paul Harvey, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Thurman was 30 years older than King: the same age, in fact, as King’s father. Among his most significant contributions was bringing the ideas of nonviolence to the civil rights movement.
America’s public schools were meant to bring together children from all walks of life.
Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com
Public schools were originally envisioned in the 19th century as ‘common schools’ where rich and poor kids could be educated together. MLK wanted the same thing – but it’s not happening.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the picket line at the Scripto plant in Atlanta, Ga., December, 1964.
AP
Most people think of Martin Luther King Jr. as a civil rights leader who led the nation in addressing the evils of systemic racism. What many don’t know is that he also championed labor unionism.
Sculpture of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, on the campus of Boston College.
Jay Yuan/Shutterstock.com
At times we just don’t know what’s the right thing to do. St. Ignatius, who founded the Society of Jesus, developed a method of discernment that can be useful even to those who are not religious.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen here arguing with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in the Oval Office of the White House, who are off-camera.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
To defeat Trumpism and movements like it, we can be either be part of the problem or part of the solution. Contemplative resistance that reflects on our own collective dysfunction is necessary.
The Supremes, with their polished performances and family-friendly lyrics, helped to bridge a cultural divide and temper racial tensions.
AP Photo/Frings
The National Council of Churches, which represents 38 Christian denominations, has long been the voice of progressive religion. But over the years, its influence has waned.
What are the ethics of anonymous resistance?
Vincent Diamante
An expert argues why the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times can hardly be considered an act of civil disobedience and why it might make things even worse in the Trump administration.
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State