Reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy

As we commemorate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, I am reflecting on the question in the title of Dr. King’s final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? 

This question –  posed in 1967 after decades of unrest and advocacy, progress and setbacks – continues to resonate in the context of the many current interlocking challenges facing our nation and global communities. In his book, King acknowledged the hard-won progress of the Civil Rights Movement while continuing to advocate for a more just and loving world for all. His writing reminded me that the pursuit of justice is multifaceted. It takes place in the courts and in the classroom. It is social and economic. It is global and local. And in these reminders, he drew attention to an important truth: “We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” 

In Where Do We Go From Here, King encouraged us to respond to injustice by becoming “those creative dissenters who will call our beloved nation to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.” 

In this call, I hear so clearly two core Wake Forest commitments: to our beloved motto and to our academic mission. I believe it is our responsibility, as teachers, scholars, staff, or students, to deploy our creative and intellectual gifts in guiding each other toward a fuller embodiment of our shared commitment to Pro Humanitate. 

And today, coincidentally, the transition of political power threatens to cement division – to write into history a story of neighbor pitted against neighbor, of us versus them. Because of our core commitments at Wake Forest, we are charged with ensuring a future of positive change. When we live together in community, we must hold space for our individual differences while fiercely defending our shared humanity; to not only hear each other’s voices, but to truly listen. And, as an academic community, we have an equal responsibility to participate in the cornerstone practices of academia: creativity, questioning, critical thinking, imagination, and the rigorous testing of ideas. Today, and all days, we should remember that each of us is a part of that “garment of destiny” and mutuality King describes – many threads, woven together into one. 

I hope you will join me tonight in an opportunity to listen and engage in our commitments. The Tonality concert, presented by the Secrest Artist Series, takes place at 7:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel. Led by Wake Forest alumnus Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake (‘10), this Grammy-winning vocal ensemble will present their program, America Will Be. And, the pre-concert talk will be given by Dr. Claire B. Crawford, assistant professor in the Department of Politics and International Affairs and the Program of African American Studies, who will discuss the power of song and sound in the making of a musical democracy.

As we progress through this new semester, let’s commit to furthering Dr. King’s legacy through embracing his steadfast belief in love and justice, and his resolute optimism for the possibilities of the future. 

Sincerely, 

Susan R. Wente
President