Love as Resistance: Lessons from MLK Week

Is love a strong enough tool to battle injustice in today’s society? That’s a tough question, right? When living under administrations that thrive off hate, lies, and deceit, most times we question ourselves and wonder: Is love enough? Do we continue to live by the words of Michelle Obama that when they go low, we go high? Or do we start to exert the same energy and abusive behavior that is spewed onto our communities?

During MLK Week, we were able to reflect on how much power love literally has. This month has tested us beyond comprehension from seeing innocent people killed in the middle of protests, to tear gas being thrown into family cars with children being hospitalized, to people being harassed in their own homes. These moments can almost make you want to retreat from “when they go low, we go high” and instead take it to hell, in the words of Charlamagne tha God.

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.”That quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was truly embodied in every event curated by his daughter, Dr. Bernice King starting with the documentary Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, which showed us that meeting your people and community on their level is a sign of respect, but also love. You care enough to bring change in a form that connects on a personal level.

At the screening of Nothing to See Here, we were able to bond over grief but quickly grasped the understanding that regardless of the roles we play in a community burdened by tragedy, our love for someone or something allows us to come together for change.

At the 2026 MLK Jr. Beloved Community Awards, where the incomparable Viola Davis was honored with the Coretta Scott King Soul of the Nation Award, I spoke with attendees to get their perspective on how we can use love as a tool, what unity looks like in our community, and why this event continues to push the culture forward.

Rockmond Dunbar and his wife, Maya Dunbar, shared that we have to use love every day. “We have four kids with four different personalities, and we have to use love to corral them together,” Rockmond said. “I think people have to understand that love is so powerful that’s why the evil in the world tries to stomp it out. The greatest thing you can do is refuse to let it go and settle in. And if it’s Black love, even better.”

Nzinga Imani said it’s important to push the culture forward because “we live in a day and time where we’re going backward as much as we’re going forward, and we have to be reminded that there are like minded people who want the same things elevation in community, support in community. Being around people who are committed to the betterment of society is important, and I want to continue to support that in any way I can.”

Anika Noni Rose, who has continuously used her platform to highlight discrepancies in the Black community, shed light on what unity looks like today, saying, “Unity looks like not allowing outside forces to pull Black and Brown communities apart when we are pushing, fighting, and working toward what we need. One thing we forget is that the Brown community is also the Black community. Many of us live in that space, and there’s no reason to be divided. The only thing we can do is get stronger by working together and that benefits all of us.”

As we close out Dr. King Week, let’s remember that celebrating his legacy doesn’t start and stop with one day.