Commentary: Drawing on the wisdom of two Martins in troubled times

We are living through a deeply fractured moment in the history of our nation. Our political and social compact sometimes seems to be at risk of tearing apart. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is watching developments in our country and wondering if the light is going out for democracy in America.

As an antidote to the rising tension, wisdom suggests that we should look to strategies that have worked in the past. On these matters there are no better sources than the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and some of the sources he drew upon in his effort to help our nation overcome an earlier era of division and violence.

At a time when African Americans endured harsh segregation and second-rate citizenship in the South, Dr. King convinced his followers to protest in a peaceful manner. Why? As Rev. King explained in his moving and profound "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," it was his intention to use large-scale, nonviolent protest to force changes in laws and status...

Read the full article in The Post and Courier HERE.