Martin Luther King, Jr., Research & Education Institute at Stanford University

      As a nineteen-year-old college student, I saw Martin Luther King, Jr., proclaim his Dream. His oration at the 1963 March on Washington would capture the nation’s attention, and his legacy ultimately became the focus of my career. In the days before the march, however, my view of King and his significance changed when I met Stokely Carmichael, a young activist affiliated with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Stokely made me aware that King was only one element of the…

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(see also Meetings - February 21-22, 2010)

On Tuesday, the second day of my visit, we traveled to the offices of the Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development (PANORAMA) in Ramallah, the city where the Palestinian Authority has its headquarters.…

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On February 21, 2010, I returned to Israel and Palestine for a four-day visit at the invitation of the U. S. Department and the U. S.Consulate in Jerusalem. It was my first trip to the region since 1991 when I had spent most of my time in Israel as part of a delegation of African-American leaders who were sponsored by Project Interchange and the American Jewish Committee. On this visit, my focus was on my discussions with Palestinian… Continue

King, Obama, and the Great American Dialogue.pdf Published in AMERICAN HERITAGE, Spring 2009.

After arriving from Mumbai in Ahmadabad, we were greeted by Gandhian scholar Kiran Sethi and her Riverside School students.



Our first stop was the Gujurat Vidyapith University founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.We were given a tour by Vidyapith students who train and study in “the way of Gandhi” at the University. John Lewis, Harris Wofford, and Martin Luther King III addressed the students. We had a wonderful outdoor buffet lunch preceding the talk which allowed everyone to… Continue