To the Mountaintop: Honoring Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 2025
“We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter to me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land” (Martin Luther King Jr., speech at the Masonic Temple, Memphis, TN, April 3, 1968).
Less than 24 hours after these prophetic words, King was tragically assassinated.
Dear Beloved Community,
As we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2025, we are called to embrace his enduring gift to humanity: the transformative power of nonviolent resistance. Dr. King's legacy reminds us that our nation's foundational promise — the inherent right of all citizens to be treated with equality, fairness, and dignity — finds its purest expression when we refuse to answer violence with violence.
The path of nonviolent resistance demands that we choose to respond from a wellspring of abiding love rather than react from a place of destructive anger. When abiding love is our default response, we claim responsibility for our actions and free ourselves from the chains of victimhood. We need only look to the Freedom Riders of 1961, who, through their training, transformed verbal and physical abuse into quiet dignity for the nation to witness. Their response illuminated the fundamental immorality of forceful subjugation and demonstrated an immovable belief in the inherent moral goodness of even those who opposed them.
Today, we acknowledge the progress that has enabled people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds to enjoy civil freedoms once reserved for the few. However, we must not rest by the still waters declaring victory, for the summit still lies ahead. There is still critical work to be done — work that is both challenging and joyful, difficult yet necessary.
In his final days, Dr. King's vision expanded beyond the boundaries of racial, gender, and sexual inequality to confront the soul-destroying impact of economic disparity. He understood that true freedom encompasses not only civil rights but social justice in its entirety.
Freedom carries a price that each generation must pay. Let us honor the down payment made by Reverend Dr. King and countless others through our daily demonstration of unwavering love and commitment to right action.
Forest Grove residents will unite on Jan. 20 to advocate for racial justice through an afternoon of creativity, reflection, and solidarity. Community members of all ages are invited to participate in the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Art March, hosted by Western WashCo for Racial Justice, at the Forest Grove Community Auditorium.
We encourage you to join Pacific University students, staff, and faculty at this meaningful event. Our group will gather at the UC Patio at 11:45 a.m., and hosts from the McCall Center for Civic Engagement and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility will lead the short 1.5-block walk to the auditorium.
Let us come together and join hands, working toward a future where everyone, regardless of their position in life or social identity, stands as equals at the mountaintop!
Yours in the cause of peace,
Dr. Pierre VC Morton
For more information on how you can support and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy in 2025, including events, resources, and opportunities to get involved, visit our resources. Together, we can continue the work toward justice, equality, and unity.