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What Dr. King taught us about change
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
(The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)This week, our nation celebrates the important
work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
– work which continues to this day. Almost 43
years after his famous “I Have a Dream”
speech, delivered in our nation’s capital in
August 1963, there still exists a breach in
society that must be repaired, to ensure that
every child receives a good education; that
people can live in safe neighborhoods and in
strong communities; that we can find ways to
improve race relations and rid ourselves of
prejudice; that people have good health care
and an adequate roof overhead.
Despite
what seems like a long road ahead to build the
kind of society we all seek, the work of Dr.
King and others like him is essential to moving
our communities and nation forward. Here are
some important lessons about creating change
that we can take away from the life’s work of
one of our nation’s greatest leaders.
- Change occurs in small steps. When
Dr. King was asked whether his nonviolent
resistance created results, he pointed to the
integration of individual lunch counters, and
the removal of signs promoting segregation in
Montgomery bus stations – all small steps
contributing to a much larger goal. Our work at
The Harwood Institute is rooted in this notion.
We call it the “pebble theory” of change.
When a person drops a large boulder in a lake,
it makes a big splash, and ripples appear. But
over time, they simply fade away. When a
person, however, drops several small pebbles in
a lake – small civic actions – their
ripples expand, touch one another, and envelop
one another to create new ripples. This is how
change occurs in society. Small civic actions
connect, and where that happens, new norms are
created for working in a fundamentally
different way.
- Change occurs in a continuum, not in
isolation. Initiatives or other kinds of
change work will never succeed if they ignore
what has already happened in a community.
Indeed, the most effective change work takes
previous work into account and is tailored
based on that history. Dr. King is part of a
long line of individuals who have worked, and
continue working, to erase the stain of hatred,
bigotry, and prejudice from our society.
- Change requires individuals to step
forward and act. Dr. King’s work proves
that real change can only occur if others are
willing to move beyond their close-knit circles
of family and friends, recognize that they are
part of something larger than themselves, and
work for the public good – which doesn’t
always align with one’s notion of what’s
good for him or her. Building a “civic
brigade” of people requires trust-building,
time, and authentic leaders who reflect the
realities of those they lead in both work and
deed. We call these leaders “public
innovators.”
- Change is generated in communities.
The civil rights movement only began to
register on the radar screens of people in
“official” positions of authority when the
voices of faith leaders, neighborhood
activists, and others in communities began to
rise. Official leaders – elected officials,
the media elite, and others – must step
forward and act in fundamentally different ways
if change is going to take hold. They may just
not be first to join the effort.
- Change must be supported by organizations. The civil rights movement was spawned and continues today through the efforts of a variety of membership groups, non-profits, and other organizations in communities that The Harwood Institute calls “catalytic organizations.” These organizations not only excel at their individual missions, but work to build community and marshal the collective will to repair the breach in society while doing their work.
Across the nation, people tell us that many of today’s leaders – both nationally and locally – are peddling in false hope - promising fundamental change in a short period of time with “bells and whistle” initiatives that won’t work; painting overly rosy pictures when people crave honesty; and failing in both word and deed to reflect people’s daily concerns about and aspirations for their families and communities. Our nation is in great need of more leaders like Dr. King, who lead with what The Harwood Institute calls “The 3 A’s of Public Life” – authority, authenticity, and accountability.
So, as we celebrate the generational achievements of Dr. King, let us never forget the important lessons we can take from his work so that, as we move forward, we can act effectively to achieve the kind of change he and millions of others across the country have imagined.
Please share this message with others you know who may benefit from it. Here are some additional resources you may want to check out:
- Learn about an exciting event The Harwood
Institute is hosting this spring for public
innovators.
- Use Hope Unraveled: The People’s
Retreat and Our Way Back, a book by
Institute President and Founder Richard C.
Harwood, as a way to start conversations in
your organization and community about
people’s relationship to politics and public
life and what that means for the work you are
doing. A free discussion guide to accompany the
book is available by clicking here.
- Download our “Take A Step” tool
to help you begin having conversations in
your community that will build trust, engage
people in something larger than themselves, and
compel people to step forward to re-engage.
- Use the Harwood Barometer for Political
Conduct individually or as a group to gauge
how leaders, the news media, and citizens in
your community and across the country are
working to repair the breach in
society.