Drum Major Institute

"The civil rights movement didn't begin in Montgomery and it didn't end in the 1960s. It continues on to this very minute." —Julian Bond

➡️ OUT NOW: We’re proud to release the summary of our Black Brown Coalition Policy Agenda with @MiFamiliaVota & @Hesanche: 🔗 drummajorinst.org/media/drum-maj… @DrumMajorInst @ArndreaKing

April is Arab American Heritage Month. For generations, Arab Americans have strengthened this country through service, innovation, and community. This month, we celebrate that rich legacy and stand for inclusion, dignity, and an end to harmful stereotypes and hate.

Audre Lorde reminded us: using the same tools that built systems of oppression won’t break them. Change demands innovation and justice.

Using nonviolence means focusing on what we are for, not just what we are against. It is power directed toward creating a better world. #BelovedCommunity

Advancing Dr. King’s vision requires all of us. Your support empowers DMI to educate, advocate, and act. Donate today: secure.qgiv.com/for/dmii/

We must ensure this history is fully remembered in every classroom, and, as my father taught, confront injustice with courage while building a world rooted in dignity, equality, and love. #RememberSlavery

Today, on International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we honor the memory of those who endured the horrors of slavery. #RememberSlavery

DMI fosters a culture of radical nonviolence and active participation in our democracy. The work continues every day and every gift makes a difference. secure.qgiv.com/for/dmii/

Arndrea Waters King leads with heart and vision, advancing justice, equity, and community as president of the Drum Major Institute. She inspires women and communities to rise, act, and heal. This #WomensHistoryMonth, we celebrate her remarkable leadership

We define nonviolence at love in action. The love that nonviolence requires is the highest form of love. It is not a sentimental love. It is a love that seeks nothing in return.

Ida B. Wells used her pen as a weapon for justice. She documented lynchings and exposed violence when others tried to look away. This #WomensHistoryMonth, we honor her courage and the enduring power of truth-telling.

When we use nonviolence as a means of enacting change, we focus on what we are for, not what we are against. We always come from a place of power when we are fighting for something.

From education to advocacy, we work every day to advance Dr. King’s vision. Help us keep that legacy alive and donate today: secure.qgiv.com/for/dmii/

No matter how heavy the struggle feels, change is possible. Every step toward justice matters.

#OTD in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson spoke before a joint session of Congress, just a week after Bloody Sunday, urging passage of voting rights legislation and declaring that every American must have an equal right to vote. Now, the Supreme Court of the United States may weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, one of the last protections allowing Black and Brown communities to challenge discrimination at the ballot box. It is not lost on me that the struggle for equal voting rights is not confined to the past. History is watching how we choose to protect the right to vote.

In a world marked by division, empathy is the bridge that unites us. Lasting equality grows when we listen, learn from one another, and stand together against injustice.

My mother, Coretta Scott King, was a leader of courage and a fighter for justice. She guided our family while helping to lead the Poor People’s Campaign soon after my father's assassination. She also shaped my father’s legacy, fighting for 15 years to make Dad’s birthday a national holiday. Her vision is an inspiration, and this #WomensHistoryMonth, we honor her enduring example.

We are united today. Now, we must do the work to ensure that we are united tomorrow.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay. Women’s rights are human rights. Yet this year feels especially heavy, as we witness rollbacks and renewed attacks on the dignity and freedom of women. I was raised by a strong woman, and I am grateful every day to be the husband of a strong woman and the father of a strong young woman. Women deserve to live free from violence. To learn and lead. To vote and be heard. To earn equal pay for equal work. To have full bodily autonomy. Today, and every day, we celebrate and stand in solidarity with women.