Kolvenbach and King

In their respective pieces, Peter Hans-Kolvenbach and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., put forth narratives depicting the injustices they witnessed in their lives. In addition to their accounts, they share ideas for dismantling oppressive systems.  

In his piece, Kolvenbach depicts how the Society of Jesus attempts to combat injustice. To convey this idea, Kolvenbach focuses on Jesuit higher education. Kolvenbach explains that the Society of Jesus was "by the Spirit of God to set out on a new direction" in order to combat injustice (Kolvenbach 23). Rather than just the public sectors, the Society of Jesus chose to fight injustice in each division. By incorporating these tactics from the roots, it ensured that the Society was driven to dismantle unjust systems rather than performatively combat injustice. Thus, Kolvenbach arrives at the primary idea of his piece: fighting injustice requires the help of all people, regardless of whether or not they are impacted by the specific injustice.

Similarly, King begins his piece by describing his experiences of racism. Writing from Birmingham Jail, King explains that he is imprisoned because "injustice is here"(King 1). King then leads from experience into actions that he has taken. King's actions provide a strong parallel with those of Kolvenbach, most notably when he describes his work in different sectors within Birmingham. Rather than restricting his actions to the oppressed, he expands them to the community of Birmingham, consequently including the perpetrators of racism. This idea is showcased through King's ability to persuade the merchants in Birmingham to remove racist signs from their stores (King 1). By emphasizing his work with the entire community of Birmingham, King arrives at the same idea as Kolvenbach: fighting injustice and racism requires the involvement of all people, not just the marginalized group.

The ideas put forth by Kolvenbach and King tie directly to our discussion of reform or revolution. While reform attempts to help the marginalized without impacting the remainder of the population, it often avoids resolving the entire issue. Revolution, on the other hand, involves the entire population. It causes everyone to re-evaluate and change their actions, helping us progress towards an equal society. 


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