Building Beloved Communities

"When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response... Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality...Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to man[human]kind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies. We must find new ways to speak [and act] for peace and justice...If we do not act we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight…Let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter - but beautiful - struggle for a new world."

~~Martin Luther King Jr., Riverside Church, April 4, 1967

The Beloved Communities Initiative

Beloved Communities: Growing our Souls is an initiative begun in 2004 to identify, explore and form a network of communities committed to and practicing the profound pursuit of justice, racial inclusivity, democratic governance, health and wholeness, and social / individual transformation. It is informed by the 1965-68 visionary thinking of Martin Luther King Jr., combined with indigenous cosmology and social ethics. This initiative is guided by a steering committee of Grace Lee Boggs, Shea Howell, Nelson Johnson, John Maguire, Kathy Sanchez, Shirley Strong.

By using the phrase popularized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Freedom Movement of the 1960s, the Initiative seeks to underscore community-building and humanity-affirming aims of that Movement while acknowledging its embeddedness in Christian language. We are vividly aware that the changing demographics of the country reflect that the dominant religio-culture backgrounds of millions of Americans, particularly new immigrants, are not Protestant Christian but Catholic, Muslim and a variety of Asian religions as well as numbers of people who call themselves “spiritual” but not “religious.” We seek to make clear that “Beloved Communities” points toward inclusiveness, cooperation and compassion, and has worldwide, international dimensions that Dr. King’s own thinking, particularly toward the end of his life, certainly embraced.

First Findings from the Field

Early on in this initiative we’ve already discovered that wherever they exist in the world “beloved communities” are

Radically diverse and inclusive
Profoundly justice oriented
Creative and flexible
Fully democratic, built on partnerships of all kinds
Committed to social as well as individual transformation
Are aware of Earth’s preciousness and limitations
Aimed toward health and wholeness

We’ve observed that such communities

Openly urge members to become progressively involved in social justice movements
Practice a fusion of spirituality with social justice activism
Create and sustain support systems for
- Self assessment
- Mentorship
- Generating new social justice initiatives
- Studying history and refining analyses in an effort to infer lessons to be learned
- Encouraging collaboration and connection to other groups pursuing similar or allied goals
Provide authentic respite and renewal
Identify emerging trends
Share stories
Practice rigorous self-assessment and evaluation

Here are ten communities that we've personally visited and what we learned from our visits (you can make a 'virtual visit' to these communities by clicking on the links):

The Boggs Center / Detroit Summer, MI, July 10-13, 2005

We learned how young people are using their imaginations and the arts to engage students and adults in addressing the public school crisis and rebuild, redefine and re-spirit Detroit from the ground up; Tewa Women United, NM, September 16-19, 2005, where we learned how Native American women living in the shadow of Los Alamos and recognizing the escalating threats to Planet Earth have created a gathering that enables people of many different backgrounds to share the wisdom of indigenous cultures.

The Beloved Community Center / The Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission, NC, November 3-6, 2005

We learned how concerned citizens of Greensboro have used the truth and reconciliation process to investigate a tragedy, develop community consciousness of the profound racial and class inequities underlying its stabilities and all its institutions and opened up possibilities of new partnerships to create a more humane and democratic city.

Great Leap / The Art of Weaving Faiths, CA, February 3-6, 2006

We learned how imaginatively inspired spiritual/physical rituals and exercises – rooted in distinctive histories, artistic and culinary traditions – can empower individuals from many different backgrounds and faiths to create, recreate and expand our individual identities in a group context into new kinds of inclusive communities.

Growing Power, Milwaukee, WI, March 9-13, 2006

We learned how farming two-and-a-half acres of city land in a Rust Belt city is growing not only food but community and new multiethnic relationships.

Access Living of Chicago, IL, November 9-12, 2006

We discovered how the prideful struggle with disabilities and their effective realization of independence in community is deepening the understanding of what it means to be a human being.

Cookman United Methodist Church of Philadelphia, PA, February 8-11, 2007

We saw a shining example of hope and how lives, young and old, can be transformed when a small community covenants to create and sustain a neighborhood-wide multigenerational loving/caring environment with myriad programs for young people, touching and shaping all aspects of their life together.

Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary, NY, April 12-15, 2007

Through projects, immersion seminars, online collaborations, and special gatherings, growing numbers of religious and community leaders are being engaged in building a movement, led by the poor, to end poverty.

El Centro Su Teatro, Denver, CO, October 18-20, 2007

We observed that this nation’s third oldest Chicano theater company has powerfully exemplified the intrinsic links between creativity, identity and activism in Chicano/Latino cultural arts production and the effectiveness of this holistic approach to community building, engaging an extraordinary intergenerational cross section of the community.

Barrios Unidos, Santa Cruz, CA, January 31-February 3, 2008

This spirited organization is a local peace movement, committed to healing community violence through conscious connection to history, indigenous cultures, spirituality, education, and love in action manifested in remarkable, sustained person-to-person restorative justice work in prison and through a half-dozen other distinct community based enterprises, including its Cesar Chavez School.

Working with a wide spectrum of interfaith and social justice groups, this Initiative focuses on how spirituality and activism can be fused in order to empower the widest range of communities of faith and persons of goodwill to transform themselves and restructure their institutions.

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