January 12, 2024—Duane Morris Chairman Matt Taylor shared the following message today with members of the Firm:

On December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. At only 35 years of age, Dr. King was honored for the moral courage and strategic brilliance he brought to the leadership of a Civil Rights movement that had captured the world’s attention.

I recently read a passage from Dr. King’s Nobel acceptance speech that stuck with me. I believe it has great resonance, given the times in which we are living in.  He said the following:

“Today I come to Oslo as a trustee, inspired and with renewed dedication to humanity. I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood.”

Remember, at the time Dr. King gave that speech, there was turmoil and chaos back home and throughout the world. There were wars and conflicts around the globe. Racial, political and economic divisions roiled our nation and the lack of access to equitable treatment for people of color was debilitating and even deadly. Dr. King highlighted these facts in that same speech when he said the following:

“I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeking to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered. And only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation.”

We find ourselves now in a period of tremendous turmoil in the world. Peace is in very short supply in many quarters; there is suffering brought on by man’s inhumanity to man; and even in places where creature comforts exist in abundance, we find cruelty, political discord and strife.

But think back to how deep Dr. King’s faith must have been to remain so optimistic in the face of the daunting challenges before him. Dr. King had no choice but to be an optimist, and so too must we. As Dr. King said, he was “a trustee” who held fast to the notion that our treatment of each other with love, respect and humanity would win in the end.

You have heard me say many times that “I believe that we will win.” On Monday, when we commemorate Dr. King’s birthday, I challenge you to reflect on Dr. King’s example, to become “trustees” of optimism and to resolve to make the world a better place. That way, we all will win.

See also:

Honoring the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from January 13, 2023