Where Do We Go From Here

In the final chapter, King adopts an international and anticolonial approach to justice and equality, emphasizing the multiracial foundations of American society. Defining Black Power broadly, he notes that the movement should adopt an international scope and follow larger world developments, anticipating the 1970s discourse on racial justice. King emphasizes the “worldwide freedom revolution” of the 20th century and situates the American civil rights movement within those worldwide developments (179). For King, the anticolonial freedom movements signal the decline of Western domination and the start of a postcolonial era. During that transformative era, King urges people to “remain awake” and “face the challenge of change” (181). King attributes the decline of Western civilization to militarism and materialism, noting that despite scientific and technological progress, the West suffers “morally and spiritually” (181). For King, the world needs a spiritual and moral reevaluation.

King acknowledges the ambivalence of The Persistence of Racism and the Hope for Social Change: After centuries of European colonialism, racism is a worldwide phenomenon, and racist structures are so entrenched that hope can feel impossible. Describing the apartheid government in South Africa, King advocates a pan-Africanist approach to racial justice. Emphasizing that Western imperialism historically oppressed people of color around the world, King ties the continued militarism of the West in the present day to that imperialist history. He notes that Western leaders often “[talk] peace while preparing for war” (192), and he uses this argument to object to America’s war in Vietnam. As Western civilization has been built on racism, King finds its foundations “treacherous” and warns of its imminent decline. Paradoxically, these predictions of coming turmoil are a source of hope for social transformation. King argues that the West, including America, should commit to making justice a reality for all. King explains that the powerful nations of the world must provide resources to nations in need, replacing imperialist militarism with a “world war against poverty on the basis of compassion, not control (188). The role King assigns to Western nations in this global community parallels the role he assigns to white individuals within the US. Just as white Americans must assume responsibility for the unequal power structures that benefit them while oppressing people of color, the nations of the West must assume their responsibility as past “colonial masters” and thus take on the burden of dismantling oppression. King calls for an alternative to war, expressing his dismay at the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Militarism and materialism pose a danger to the future of the world, and King emphasizes the necessity of moral and spiritual development for the preservation of human life.

King’s calls for unity emphasize The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender in the Struggle for Liberation. King notes that “all men are interdependent” (191). Drawing from his Christian religious beliefs, he stresses that “men are made in the image of God” to emphasize the humanity of all people (190). The struggle for justice needs an international and interracial approach that would unite people under peace. King returns to the politics of nonviolence as a “serious experimentation in every field of human conflict” (194) on an international scale. King reiterates that nonviolence must not mean passivity, but instead an energetic “application of peaceable power” (195). King concludes that peace, love, and hope must guide the freedom struggle. The world must transform from “a ‘thing’-oriented society to a ‘person’-oriented society” (196). Only such a society can dismantle hierarchies of class and race, emphasizing humanity against poverty, materialism, and militarism. King advocates for new political systems of justice and equality built on love, community, and hope.