“Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force, which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later, all the peoples of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Dec. 10, 1964)
The Annual Freedom Train from San Jose to San Francisco, which culminates in a symbolic march and rally in San Francisco, would make Dr. King proud. Sponsored by the San Jose Chapter of the Martin Luther King Association, the Freedom Train is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest theologians and scholars of our time.
Dr. King was more than a Baptist Minister credited with leading the Civil Rights Movement. He was an elegant visionary and prophet who helped usher this country and the world into a movement of peaceful revolution of social change and brotherhood that has forever changed the world.
The Freedom Train is a not a joyride, it’s a chance to briefly revisit a phenomenal time in this country’s history when blacks and whites of all social and economic backgrounds united in a cause larger than any single individual. It recalls a time when people were not solely motivated by selfish agendas or material gain-A time when a gallant group of people risked their own security in hopes of guaranteeing a better life for their children and their children’s children.
The Freedom Train symbolizes the power of unconditional love. With this form of love comes freedom, social justice, equal rights, and compassion for fellow man. For more information about the Freedom Train, write to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of the Santa Clara Valley at 304 N. 6th Street, San Jose, CA 95112, call: 408-292-3157 or visit http://www.scu.edu/SCU/Programs/Diversity/mlka.html.
“The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds, or silver or gold.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
