Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Message for All Times

This month, the Chapter had to cancel its Martin Luther King, Jr. Forum on Racial Justice because of incredible inclement weather.  Everyone was disappointed.  The speakers were prepared to present, the room at Wheelock was ready to receive us, and the caterer was on call.  The event has been postponed until the evening of Tuesday, May 19^th.  We’ll be notifying folks through FOCUS, the website, social media, and email blasts.

Although the event was cancelled for weather, transportation, and parking problems, we had several requests to reschedule as soon as possible— on another night in February or on the anniversary of King’s assignation in March.  Rescheduling postponed events is always a challenge in choreography: getting a date that all the confirmed speakers can make, getting the space on the night that the speakers are available, and avoiding scheduling conflicts with other Chapter-related events that have been scheduled months ahead.

Despite these minor considerations, it is important to keep in mind that King’s message is one that is timeless— one that is as relevant yesterday, today, and tomorrow as it will be in the future.  Social and economic injustices that we have experienced in modern times are so complex, multi-sourced and long standing that simple, one-dimensional solutions will not adequately address these societal failures.  What we can do is start the dialogue about what we can all do to end their continuations.

This is what social workers are good at; bringing people together to address the hard questions, the uncomfortable ones, the ones that generate frustration and anger and where we can all get stuck, by blaming, simplifying, and retreating into disappointment, when the solutions do not come easily.

The Chapter will be engaged in keeping the MLK, Jr. perspective and message alive and fertile through the upcoming forum in May, through our Continuing Education programs and courses, and in implementing our Strategic Plan.

We look forward to seeing you at the May program and, in the meantime, please contribute to the conversation through Letters to the Editor in FOCUS, on our social media platforms, and through this blog post.