Letter to | the Editor

To the Editor:
Martin Luther King, Jr., in a 1957 speech entitled “Give Us the Ballot,” spoke of a “dire need for a liberalism which is truly liberal” and warned about a “liberalism which is neither hot nor cold but lukewarm.”
Today with the election of a man who proclaims values of white supremacy and appears as a racist, xenophobe, Islamopbobe, and a misogynist, that warning appears even clearer. I believe the time is upon us for a new vision of liberalism: a vision of a liberalism not submitting to the voices of fear and hate, a liberalism which will respect the office of the president but will not submit to policies of oppression and injustice.
We need a vision of love and not fear. Fear builds walls not only on our Southern borders but in the hearts of our communities. Fear divides. Love builds tables where we sit down together. We may have different views but love creates a bond that does not separate.
We need a vision of standing for justice, resisting the dark chains of oppression no matter what the cost. Let us not kid each other. The road to justice for all is difficult. But there can be no compromise with racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia or misogyny. Let us take the energy that we are wasting on fear and anxiety and use it to be a vessel for creating an inclusive, loving, peaceful community.
This vision will require each one of us to take responsibility. Yes, one person can make a difference, but as history has shown us, we cannot create change on our own. It is a vision of a resisting, in which we will not sit idly by and allow the justice which we have gained to be taken from us.
What will we resist? Any attempt to block a woman’s access to healthcare. Any attempt to deny the right of any person to have adequate health care. Any attempt to deny entry into this country based on religion. Any attempt to build a wall denying entry to the poor and oppressed of the world. Any attempt to keep the poor poor by denying them a living wage.  
May I suggest that this liberalism with peaceful non-violent resistance “disturbing the tranquility of the nation” will inevitably win the majority of the nation-because our hard-won heritage of freedom is ultimately more powerful than our traditions of cruelty and injustice.” (MLK)
Rev Ed Kelly, Jr., Red Oak