WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2023 – Today, the American Bar Association celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and joins the nation in remembering his words and actions that so profoundly changed our society.
Dr. King devoted his life to improving America and moving it closer to his vision of a “Beloved Community,” where everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger and hate. He tirelessly advocated for justice and equality, and he did so through nonviolence and communication, saying that we cannot “satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
As we continue to pursue Dr. King’s goals, we would be wise to remember his words: “Men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other.”
By collaborating in a civil manner, Americans can hear and even accommodate different views. We can appreciate the essential role of civil discourse in maintaining the representative government and freedoms that give us hope in our creation of the Beloved Community.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.