By Fatima RJA Chaudhary (Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center staff, former student)

Speech given during the Gandhi Mandela King 2023 International Conference. 6 June 2023 – 9 June 2023. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Abstract: Institutions in American society battle constant cultural, political, and economic
violence. Individuals turn on themselves and on their community. The status
quo utilizes the police, entertainment distractions, the media, and calculated
politics to maintain it’s narrative. The promise of democracy requires us to
force power out of the hands of the status quo and reestablish it in the hands of
the people. Our collective group power grounds us in our purpose which will
allow us to rebuild our institutions. The first step in this reconstruction is
participating in something larger than ourselves. Internally we must go through
a revolution of values in order to uphold justice for one another and practice
democracy.