Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 19, 2026

Dear all,

I am writing to remind us of the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom we honor today. I have often found inspiration in the words and deeds of Dr. King, who led with an uncommon combination of faith, idealism, and practicality. What strikes me the most as I think about him on this particular day is that even in the face of devastating and demoralizing events, he never backed away from his belief in the power of love.

I learned recently that Dr. King started writing an advice column for Ebony magazine in 1957. In one of the first few columns, a questioner asked the civil rights leader whether love could really solve problems, stating, “Why don’t you preachers admit that love, in the highest sense of the word, is impractical in the world of today?” Dr. King’s response was adamant: “I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism; but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization.” As to what he actually meant by “love,” he said it was “understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies.”

Ten years later, in a 1967 speech in Atlanta, “Where do we go from here?,” Dr. King hadn’t moved an inch from his commitment to fostering that kind of redemptive goodwill. “I have also decided to stick with love,” he said, “for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.”

As we approach this day and this semester, let us remember the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in so doing, embody Dr. King’s belief that “love is the most durable power in the world.”

Happy MLK Day,

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar