Tomorrow is MLK Day, and we are grateful for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy of friendship across social, economic, racial, and national boundaries.
As civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs has reflected,
He not only empowered those on the front lines, but in the process developed a strategy for transforming a struggle for rights into a struggle that advances the humanity of everyone in the society and thereby brings the beloved community closer to realization. (Yes! Magazine)
In the latter years of his life, a friendship between Dr. King and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh influenced King's advocacy for peace in Vietnam:
Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. met for the first time in 1966; they met in person one other time before Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. They spent little time in each other’s company, and yet the energy of their meeting continues to ripple out into the world wherever people work for civil rights, peace, and community. (Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation)
In the photo included above, a crowd of tourists gather around the Stone of Hope, a statue of Dr. King created by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. Cherry blossoms line the periphery, themselves a gift to the United States from Japan.
Through programs like the Chinese and American Friendship Ministry (CAAFM), the USCCA aims to cultivate a "beloved community" that welcomes the peoples of the United States and China alike. Through outreach to Chinese students studying in the United States, the CAAFM provides avenues for dialogue and friendship on the firm foundation of mutual respect and a desire to learn from each other.
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