Martin Luther King, III, Arndrea Waters King Urge for an Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire and Call for Peace and Emergency Relief in Gaza
DMI Staff
ATLANTA (November 2, 2023) – Today, Martin Luther King, III, Chairman of the Drum Major Institute, and Arndrea Waters King, President of the Drum Major Institute, join in the global community’s urgent plea for a ceasefire in Gaza and call for immediate humanitarian relief.
“Nearly six decades ago, my father delivered his 1964 Nobel Prize Acceptance speech advocating for peace by emphasizing that civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. His words still resonate with profound relevance today,” said Martin Luther King, III.
“Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and therefore transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oslo, Norway (December 10, 1964)
At the Drum Major Institute, we continue to be saddened and alarmed by the unfolding of violence in Israel and Gaza. On October 8th, we joined the National Action Network, the National Urban League, and the NAACP, to condemn the deadly terrorist attacks against Israel, and to stand in solidarity against hatred and war. We remain horrified by Hamas’ brutal attack on 1,400 innocent Israelis and the seizure of more than 200 hostages.
We are continuing to pray for peace and for the families of the victims of this devastating violence. All innocent civilians and their families remain in our hearts, and we call for the safe return of those who were taken hostage. Our overarching hope is that peace-loving people in Israel, Gaza, and throughout the world will unite and call on their leaders to negotiate a just and lasting peace in which the diverse peoples of the Middle East can live together with greater mutual understanding, cooperation, and goodwill. There is no room for collective punishment. We must pursue collective humanity.
As the war intensifies, we implore all parties to consent to a ceasefire and call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors into Gaza so that crucial aid can flow freely. We must not lose our humanity. The nearly two million residents of Gaza, including one million children, are suffering horrifically because of this ongoing conflict, which has escalated into a desperate humanitarian crisis. More than 9,000 civilians, including over3,000 children have been killed by air strikes, and tens of thousands displaced. Many of these refugees requiremedicine, food, water, and electricity. We urge Israel to enable essential services to reach civilians and to uphold all principles of international law as military operations expand in Gaza.
Closer to home, we remind our fellow Americans that hatred and dehumanization only corrode the very essence of humanity. We strongly condemn any sentiments or acts of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian rhetoric, perpetuating more hate and division. Precisely during these difficult times, we must guard against injustice and embrace the vision of brotherhood and sisterhood with an audacious faith in the future of humankind. Now more than ever, we each must be holders of The Dream.