On Monday January 20th, many will gather to pay tribute to a man who might be best described as prophet of peace, love and justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

America's founding fathers pledged to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor, in defense of liberty and freedom. Martin Luther King, Jr. was called upon to proclaim his vision for liberty and freedom in the land for all its inhabitants, and to extend the message of love and peace with justice and reconciliation to all nations. King's vision might best be described as "The Beloved Community" or "World House."

In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. finished his last full-length book, and he was assassinated the following year on April 4, 1968. Interestingly, the title of his last published book was: "Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community." King's international travel and human rights involvement brought into focus a vision of his concept of the "beloved community" or the "World House," and this was his vision of the growing intersections of a world shrinking daily.

After he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, he said "I now had to give a great deal of attention to these three problems confronting humankind: radical justice around the world, poverty, and war. Though each, appeared to be separate and isolated, all were interwoven into a single garment of [humanity's] destiny." King said, "We have inherited a large house, a great 'world house' in which we have to live together-black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu-a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace."

In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "…then every mountain and hill shall be made low, the Crooked shall be made straight, then the rough places plain, and the gory of the Lord shall be revealed." Let us work to keep King's vision of hope alive!

Dr. Terriel Byrd, a retired Professor of Urban Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), served at PBA for 23 years. In January 2024, he joined PBA's Board of Trustees. Dr. Byrd also started a scholarship to provide academic funding for students of color. To be a part of impacting students at PBA, click hereto contribute to the Dr. Terriel Byrd Scholarship Fund.

On Monday, January 20, Palm Beach Atlantic University celebrates MLK Day by continuing its tradition of an MLK Day of Service in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County to organize 24 community service projects across Palm Beach County to support non-profits and other organizations across the community.