Chaos or Community? | Ithaca College

Where Do We Go from Here?

"The deep rumbling of discontent that we hear today is the thunder of disinherited masses, rising from dungeons of oppression to the bright hills of freedom."

-The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil rights leaders lock arms and lead a march in Montgomery

May, 1965 cover of Ebony Magazine.

In June of 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. released his final book and delivered a keynote address at the 11th Annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference Convention under the same title later that year. For the first time since 1955, the Rev. Dr. King detached himself from the work of the movement and took a moment to reflect on the victories won and the challenges ahead.

Learn More: An Intro to the Civil Rights Movement
Learn More: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Learn More: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Learn More: Black Power and King's Response

"Where Do We Go from Here" represents a critical stage in the process of building a beloved community, highlighting the Rev. Dr. King, Jr. as an evolved leader since the Montgomery Bus Boycott ('55). We ask all members of our Ithaca College community to take this week, semester, and year(s) to consider where we will go, together, from 2020.

August 16, 1967

To the Biden-Harris Administration

MLK Scholars were asked to use their new foundational knowledge gained from their US Civil Rights Seminar, coupled with their own area of interest in social justice, to address "what next, as a country?" Where do we go from here? "If you had to write a letter to the next administration of the white house as a senior advisor to the President, advising on the national dialogue of racism, class inequity, and injustices, what would you say?"

The process required the students to report the facts, feelings, and events of their learning and personal experiences. Additionally, reflect on observations about themselves, about history, about the United States, and about 2020 while centering their impact as MLK Scholars, IC students, and global citizens with the power to influence change.

You may click here to view the document or download a PDF copy below.

MLK Scholar '24 _ White House Paper - mlk-scholar-24-_-final-paper-to-white-house_0 (pdf)