‘Beloved Community’ Sounds Nice. But What Does it Mean?

Adam Russell Taylor. Original photo by Candace Sanders, illustration by Mitchell Atencio.

Interestingly, when I revisited a lot of Dr. King’s speeches and civil rights history, [I noticed that he] would often mention Beloved Community, but there wasn't like a singular speech where he completely unpacked what the Beloved Community means. And so in one sense, it was almost like it was assumed that a lot of people understood what the concept meant, or maybe he was hoping that people would kind of fill in [the gaps] with their own values and priorities. And so I feel there is a need to recast the vision for the Beloved Community in more contemporary terms.

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An image of the November 2026 issue of Sojourners, titled "Face to Face." It features George Lakey on the cover
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