Don't Walk Alone—Sprint Together
- Martin Luther King, Jr. declares 1963 the beginning, not the end, of the fight for freedom. He describes the Civil Rights Movement as "the whirlwinds of revolt…[shaking] the foundations of our nation." This is the type of thing that scared the government.
- The speech turns to methodology. MLK pleads his audience to fight violence and hatred with peace and love.
- He adds a shout-out to the "white brothers" in attendance (8.6). The destiny of the movement is everybody's destiny.
- Paragraph 9 devotes time to the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. Specific goals are key to successful protests.
- So what were the goals? Ending racist police brutality (still working on that one …), stopping discrimination in hotels, housing, and transportation, ending segregation, and establishing voting rights protections for African Americans.
- And then it's time for a little bit of encouragement—because that's a lot to take on.
- Martin Luther King tells his followers to play through the pain of jail sentences, police brutality, and "creative suffering" (10.4).
- He also declares "unearned suffering is redemptive" (10.5).
- This is definitely an idea influenced by his Christian beliefs. Christians believe that Christ's suffering on the cross redeemed humanity from sin.
- Dr. King tells his supporters to go back to Southern States and keep up the fight in the dragon's den.