“Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue, and it creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Lecture, University of Oslo, Dec. 11, 1964.
The Minneapolis & Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Federation, along with a broad coalition of unions and community organizations, has called for a statewide “Day of Truth and Freedom” on January 23, 2026 — urging workers, students, and residents to refuse work, school, and shopping to protest the heightened presence of ICE under Operation Metro Surge and to demand federal agents leave Minnesota.
Gabriel Prawl, former president of International Longshore Workers Union Local 52 and current president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute chapter in Minneapolis, spoke about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of mobilizing labor in powerful collective action, calling for similar strike efforts both nationally and globally to defend civil and human rights. He was interviewed by Pacifica’s Steve Zeltzer.
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Stacie Balkaran is the Communications Director of the Minneapolis AFL-CIO. It has issued a statement calling for work actions on January 23, 2026 to stop the massive attacks by ICE on their workers and community. She spoke with Pacifica’s Steve Zeltzer.
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“Baba” Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika, retired scholar-activist and university professor, was an activist-organizer with the Civil Rights, Peace, Ecology, and Black Power movements. He has taught Africana studies, Community Development and Public Policy, at twelve universities. ‘He has worked with many movement leaders, and knew some personally including: Dr. King, John Lewis, Shirley Chisolm, Howard Zinn, Stokeley Carmicheal aka Kwame Toure, and many others.
On August 31, 1967, Dr. King delivered the keynote address at the National Conference on New Politics in Chicago to an audience of mostly progressives. In his speech, he made the case that racism, excessive materialism and militarism are all forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle, referring to them as the “three evils” of American society. Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika was present during that historical moment and shares his wisdom with us today.
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According to Broadview.org, when Martin Luther King Jr. preached at Washington National Cathedral on March 31, 1968, no one knew it would be his final Sunday sermon. His words remain strikingly relevant today and have shaped the cathedral’s ongoing work on social justice and racial reconciliation. King was invited to explain to white clergy and Washington’s broader public that the Poor People’s Campaign would be nonviolent, not disruptive. The invitation came from the Rev. John Walker, later the first Black Episcopal bishop of Washington, who described King as “the apostle of nonviolence.” Dr. Mtangalizi Sanyika reflects on the lasting significance of what became known as Dr. King’s “Last Sunday Sermon.”
For more information on Dr. King’s legacy, and his beloved wife Coretta Scott King, who helped shape his legacy, visit https://thekingcenter.org/
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We thank all of Pacifica’s sister stations and affiliates who contribute to the production of this show. Today’s program was produced by Akua Holt and edited by Polina Vasiliev.
We also want to thank “Baba”Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika, retired scholar-activist and university professor, who was an activist-organizer in the civil Rights, Peace, Ecology, and Black Power movements for his contributions to today’s program.
You can find this and all previous episodes at our website “capitalism race and democracy dot ORG”. Make sure you click the subscribe button. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @PacificaCRD.
Thanks for listening.
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