Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution
“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I have been thinking a lot about this famous quote. I have always taken comfort in this idea, but lately I’ve started to wonder if Dr. King was right. I was curious to learn more about the context in which he said this. Turns out, it was part of a Commencement Address for Oberlin College in 1965 called “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.”
Dr. King begins his speech by recounting the story of Rip Van Winkle, the guy who falls asleep for 20 years. (I was shocked! Rip Van Winkle has been one of my inspirations for the character of Sadit in The Nightingale.) Dr. King notes that what many of us forget about the story is that Rip Van Winkle sleeps through a revolution. On his way to his decades long snooze, Rip Van Winkle passes by an Inn with a picture of King George III. When he returns from his slumber, the picture has changed to George Washington.
Dr. King proceeds to give excellent, practical, and still timely advice for “remaining awake.” His first bit of advice is to take a world perspective. He says that we cannot live in isolation. We must concern ourselves with other individuals and nations. He notes that modern invention has made our world connected geographically, and the great challenge is for us to live as brothers and sisters. This is just one bit of advice in this speech that feels just as relevent and prescient today as it must have 60 years ago. I encourage you to read the full speech.
It is discouraging that we are dealing with so many of the same issues today. It is disheartening to watch hard-won progress be systematically dismantled. It is tempting to give in, give up, and just let it happen around us. But now is not the time to be complacent. We may not be the ones who ignite the revolution, but we better make sure we don’t sleep through it.
On this weekend when we remember the incredible work of Dr. King, maybe we can start by taking his advice to live in connection and community. To support the people around us. To live as brothers and sisters. Happy MLK Day!