A Lifestyle of Nonviolence

Today, we had the honor to visit the  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site. There, I had the opportunity to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church, a home to Dr.King, his father, grandfather, and family. I then walked down Aubren Street, where Dr.King’s childhood home remains. It was touching, being able to literally visit the church, the street, the home, and essentially the community, that shaped and molded who Dr. King became. To see the very places where Dr.King’s passions sparked, allowed me to view a reality of King that is not often recognized. King came from a background, a family, a neighborhood, similar to many, and beautifully, developed into a man who discovered something to die for, as he often said.

We then went to Georgia State University and had the privilege to speak with a number of individuals, including Glenn T. Eskew, a professor, historian, and author who challenged and studied Southern history, and the dynamics of civil rights on the local and national level, as well as the advantages the more wealthy and powerful, gained in continuing segregation in the South specifically. I also had the pleasure to meet and listen to both Charles Person, who was the youngest freedom rider, of the original buses, along Anthony Grooms, who is an author who made a number of fiction books depicting various perspectives from characters in the civil rights time period. Finally, I met a former KKK member, who discussed the 180 turnaround in his life, and how both his past and present work, shapes his passions and understanding of life.

All that was said and spoken from these speakers was so fruitful and impactful, I could write so much about what I heard. From hearing Mr. Person describe the moments, the journey, as a young man, passionate for dignity and life, and his comparisons between being a veteran of the Vietnam war and a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement was both touching and, for some reason, frustrating. What resonated and stayed present in my mind following the conversations, was the conversation I had with the former KKK member, TM.

As stated by TM, dehumanizing someone, is easy, civil discourse, breaking down the barriers of pride and ignorance for meaningful conversations and change, however, is not. It is easy to dehumanize someone when you view them so negatively, but there is power in seeing the humanity in individuals, even when they cannot see it in you. This point by TM perfectly ties into MLK’s 2nd, third and fourth principles of nonviolence. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding, to reach the end result of redemption and reconciliation (principle 2). Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. The understanding that it is not black vs right, it is us against injustice and hatred. That “nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil persons” and “nonviolent resisters seek to defeat evil, not people. And finally, the fourth principle, my favorite, that “nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform people and societies”, that unlearned suffering is redemptive and has “tremendous educational transforming possibilities”. Understanding that nonviolence is a lifestyle, we see how we too should be intentional in being nonviolent with our language, with our attitudes, with our approaches to seeking justice, informing, and facilitating conversations of civil discourse. To enter into conversations not attacking, not dehumanizing, but with the expression of love and kindness. These principles are applicable in not only actions through demonstrations, but in how we dialogue.

Hope Hammond

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