A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr Chapter Summary & Analysis - Where Do We Go from Here? Summary

Where Do We Go from Here? Summary and Analysis

Dr. King looks back on the year remembering people who had given the gift of self, a true gift of love. He particularly remembers a group of tough young men from the Chicago ghettos. They had been active members of gangs after having dropped out of school and being unable to obtain work. Their sense of manliness and recognition came from physically defending themselves.

When these young men joined them in the Freedom March in Mississippi, many feared their ability to act nonviolently. Even though attacked with tear gas, these young men protected women and children with their own bodies. In Chicago, they faced greater abuse. The marchers were attacked with verbal abuse, rocks, sticks, eggs and cherry bombs. The difference in Chicago for them was that there was a humane police force defending their exercise of their rights.

These children of the slums learned that hatred and...
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