Our activist collective has been studying MLK's philosophy of nonviolent resistance, but when we planned our protest against the new housing development displacing low-income families, half our group wanted to risk arrest through civil disobedience while the other half felt we should stay within legal bounds. We're stuck between those who say anything short of breaking unjust laws is performative and those who worry that arrests will hurt our long-term organizing capacity.
More people experience this than they realize.
The group is discovering that shared values don't automatically translate into shared strategy when the stakes involve personal sacrifice and legal consequences.
“Where Are You with MLK and civil disobedience philosophy?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.