In this 1979 photo, Mother Teresa receives the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony at Oslo University. At right is the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, John Sanness. In subsequent years, Mother Teresa has faced criticisms.
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Peace can become political when advocates oppose or try to reform governments and societies pursuing hostile foreign relations — or when these societies perpetuate injustice and oppression at home.
Martin Luther King Jr. (bottom right) listens to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
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As the “Queen” of gospel music, Mahalia Jackson sang two songs during the historic March on Washington. But her most famous line may have been a suggestion to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Harry Belafonte used his personal wealth to support young activists throughout his life.
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Singer, actor and activist died on April 25 at the age of 96. His legacy spans stage, screen and political activism.
Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a group that includes a nun and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel during the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights march.
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Religious pluralism and social justice were at the core of King’s campaigns – a vision shaped by influences as diverse as Gandhi, the Black church, Greek classics and Buddhism.
The Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. memorial sculpture at Boston Common is called ‘The Embrace.’
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A memorial to Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. has received stinging criticisms, but time will tell whether ‘The Embrace’ will endure as a cherished work of public art.
Women listen during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
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Bayard Rustin led a long and complicated life dedicated to the fight for equal rights. Targeted by the FBI, Rustin became a close adviser to Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. relaxes at home in May 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama.
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As Martin Luther King Jr. gained national prominence, the FBI launched several investigations to prove that King and his radical allies were communist sympathizers and a danger to America.
People wait in line for a free morning meal in Los Angeles in April 2020. High and rising inequality is one reason the U.S. ranks badly on some international measures of development.
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The United States came in 41st worldwide on the UN’s 2022 sustainable development index, down nine spots from last year. A political historian explains the country’s dismal scores.
The world has seen widespread climate protests in recent years.
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Global climate movements have espoused nonviolence, but some are adopting more radical tactics in light of the increasing threats posed by climate change.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., left, and attorney Fred Gray, whom King called ‘the brilliant young Negro who later became the chief counsel for the protest movement,’ at a political rally in Tuskegee, Alabama, April 29, 1966.
AP Photo/Jack Thornell
When Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Fred Gray was her lawyer. Now he’s being honored for a lifetime of civil rights advocacy.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the land.
Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden’s nominee for the US Supreme Court withstood four days of hearings and was confirmed to become the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the U.S. Congress.
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In a speech that touched on America’s darkest days and most inspirational leaders, Ukraine’s embattled president made a powerful call for stronger action on Russia.
Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh praying during a three-day requiem for the souls of Vietnam War victims in 2007.
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Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, which earned him a global following, gave simple instructions on mindfulness and emphasized how it could be practiced anytime, even when doing routine chores.
Martin Luther King Jr. waves with his children, Yolanda and Martin Luther III, from the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
In his brief life, Martin Luther King Jr. had a variety of interests that informed his work as leader of the civil rights movement. His alma mater has collected some objects that tell his story.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, right, talks with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in his White House office in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 1964.
AP Photo
MLK’s vision for nonviolence included abolishing what he called triple evils – racism, poverty and militarism.
Bernice A. King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, at a recent press conference preview the King Holiday observance in Atlanta, Georgia.
EPA-EFE/Erik S. Lesser
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State