Many think that violence is central to religion, but some scholars argue it’s meaningless to single out religion rather than socio-economic factors when assessing violent acts.
For Gandhi, whose birth anniversary is Monday, Oct. 2, nonviolent resistance meant placing one’s own body in harm’s way to expose social injustices, which made it a powerful political tool.
Two websites, one taken offline, the other still active, raise hard questions about how prepared Americans are to deal with free speech about white supremacy, in both monuments and domain names.
A protestor in New York City reacts to the events in Charlottesville.
Reuters/Joe Penney
When Martin Luther King Jr. was met by violent opposition, he remained hopeful, believing that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ While racism remains, there’s reason for hope.
A Moral Monday protest led by a preacher, Rev. William Barber.
AP Photo/Martha Waggoner
The 19th-century social gospel, which emphasized how Jesus’ ethical teachings could address poverty and inequality, continues to live on in the activism of the religious left.
An exhibition for the Luther monument in Worms.
AP Photo/Jens Meyer
Luther translated the Greek New Testament into a common German dialect that ordinary people could read, without help from clergy.
Students for a Democratic Society was the largest – and arguably most successful – student activist organization in U.S. history.
S.Sgt. Albert R. Simpson, Department of Defense / via Wikimedia
Student protest has been in the political spotlight since Trump’s election. Todd Gitlin, former president of Students for a Democratic Society, shares his perspective on protest in the 60s and now.
A March 21, 1965 file photo shows Martin Luther King Jr. and his civil rights marchers.
AP Photo/File
Martin Luther King Jr. led one of the most successful, nonviolent resistance movements in American history. Here’s a roundup of key coverage from our archive.
An April 30, 1966 file photo of King Jr. addressing a rally in Birmingham, Alabama,
AP Photo/JT, File
Martin Luther King Jr. used a prophetic voice in his preaching – a hopeful voice that addressed human tragedy. But it was the black clerics who came before him, who helped King develop that voice.
Children learn hatred and violence, two pediatricians write, and they also learn love and respect. As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, the two doctors offer things you can do to teach tolerance.
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State