In honor of Martin Luther King Day, the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning hosts an annual panel discussion on a variety of urban issues that take inspiration from the work of Dr. King.
According to Martin Luther King, Jr., the Beloved Community is a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. Dr. King reiterated the importance of nonviolence in attaining the Beloved Community. In other words, our ultimate goal is integration, which is genuine inter-group and inter-personal living. Only through nonviolence can this goal be attained, for the aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of the Beloved Community:
“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.
- Martin Luther King, “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” 1956
Image by Paul O’Connor
This symposium will explore the economic and social justice pillars of the Beloved Community. The panel will be made up of five planners, architects, designers, and activists working to achieve economic and racial justice. Harley Etienne will be moderating. We aim to interrogate the questions: What are the steps to achieving economic, social, and environmental justice? What are the physical elements of the Beloved Community? What are the health impacts of living in such a community? Is this even attainable? What are the attitudes and systems that are keeping us from the Beloved Community? What are the roles of community planners and designers in achieving the Beloved Community?
Cover image by Paul O’Connor