The Man from Anacostia: Our Beloved Community

Image via East of the River.

This month we celebrate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Throughout our nation there will be parades, religious events, community service opportunities, concerts, television documentaries and a multitude of community conversations.

Just like Christmas, the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday has become commercialized and white sheets may be on sale just in time for Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Central to Dr. King’s philosophy and activist agenda is his quest for the “Beloved Community,” a society based on justice, equal opportunity and love. 

Dr. King’s dreams were noble, lofty and some critics and cynics might say unrealistic and unachievable.The wars in Gaza and Ukraine and the homicides in our nation show that peace and love are still far from a reality. And our east-of-the-river neighborhoods here in DC give evidence that the poor are still with us.