Today on January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day let us revisit his most famous speech I Have a Dream. The civil rights leader delivered his speech in respect to the March on Washington. His words spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, on August 28, 1963, still echo throughout the world today. There are moments in Kings speech that display his unity with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Have a listen to the original audio of the speech:Nonviolence and ahimsa: A common messageKing was a follower of Gandhi and resonated with his idea of ahimsa. He reminded African Americans to not resort to violence and hatred when seeking justice. He voiced, There is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. He further enforced, We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Connotating violence with being the opposite of dignity and discipline he expressed his disapproval towards physical unrest. Predicting that his people could face hardship Martin Luther King stated Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The same message is conveyed in Mahatma Gandhis well-known quote An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. A phrase encouraging the people to not return the same suffering that they face. Kings and Gandhis efforts to promote unityHe also addressed the caucasian individuals in the crowd while reminding his people to refrain from blind hatred. King warned, the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. This phrase resembles the same thought uttered by Mahatma Gandhi Hindus and Muslims were sons of the same soil of India They were brothers who therefore must strive to keep India free and United. The two leaders made it a point to unify the community and remind people to not divide as a result of political and social unrest. The two dedicated leaders are still remembered today as nonviolent fighters who brought their community out of the dark phase of suppression. Both are remembered in small classrooms and on international platforms like the United Nations as an example of resilient leadership.
