Black History Month 2026: “Where Do We Go from Here?”
Day 15
“Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community” is Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr.’s last book. It was published after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the book MLK describes how he feels about the progress America has made in creating a just society. I would say it’s my favorite book by him because he talks very frankly.
MLK discussed both his opinion of riots in Watts, Los Angeles, CA and the frustration with wh1te people that he believed led to the riots. Specifically, he stated the riots were due to “white inaction” on Civil Rights and anti-poverty initiatives. According to MLK, politicians used the Vietnam War as an excuse not to address these problems. He repeated his famous quote about his frustrations with the “wh1te moderate,” but with a twist. Instead of “wh1te moderate,” he says, “wh1te liberal.” In my opinion this is a response to the anger the received from both wh1te liberals and conservatives for his opinions. It was during this time that his approval among wh1tes was at its lowest point.
MLK went into detail about what he believed would eradicate poverty in America. Two of his proposed policies were Universal Basic Income and a federal jobs guarantee. This is one of the reasons I also support UBI and a federal jobs guarantee.
As I stated in my “Day 3” post, MLK Jr. also explained what he meant when he talked about love driving out hate. For him, love was about accepting accountability and holding others accountable. In fact, he said accountability was necessary for the creation of a Beloved Community. In other words, all those people who quote MLK Jr. to avoid being held accountable for their hurtful actions don’t understand what he meant.
I won’t spoil the whole book because you should all read it yourselves. Check it out at your local library or buy a copy!
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