The week was marked by tributes from Djamila Ribeiro to the American activist

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrated annually in the United States on the third Monday of January, Djamila Ribeiro paid tribute to the activist who shaped 20th-century history through his radical defense of social justice, racial equality, and, above all, peace. Remembering Martin Luther King’s legacy reaffirms the centrality of the civil rights leader’s pacifist thought as an ethical reference for contemporary dilemmas.

In an Instagram post on the 19th, Djamila shared images from her visits to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Atlanta, made even before she assumed her position as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The first Brazilian to teach in the MIT program that bears the activist’s name, she emphasized how her admiration for King has been transformed into an intellectual and political commitment.
“I am the first Brazilian invited to teach in the Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors Program at MIT. It is an honor embraced with deep gratitude and a strong awareness of the responsibility it carries,” wrote the Brazilian philosopher. She reaffirmed her commitment to the values defended by King: “I will continue to carry this legacy with me — with pride, respect, and commitment — honoring every step of this history that continues to inspire us to dream and act for a more just future.”

Tribute in Folha de S. Paulo

In her weekly column in Folha de S. Paulo, Djamila had the opportunity to deepen her reflection on one of the central aspects of King’s thought: the struggle for peace. In the article titled “Martin Luther King Jr.’s pacifist message still disarms wars today”, the philosopher observed how the speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” delivered by King in April 1967, remains urgent in the face of contemporary conflicts.

Djamila highlighted one of the leader’s emblematic statements: “We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation,” connecting King’s ethical call — addressed to people of all faiths — to current humanitarian crises. From Sudan, where an absurd war silently claims hundreds of thousands of lives, to the Middle East, where Palestinians demand dignity, territory, and a voice in reconstruction processes, and to contexts in which women fight for autonomy, such as Iran, the moral urgency evoked by Martin Luther King Jr. remains unavoidable.

Djamila concluded the article by invoking verses by Wilson Simonal — “Too much Black struggle is to struggle for peace” — and reaffirmed the need to keep this line of thought alive for future generations: “His call to choose — between violence and coexistence, between hatred and political love — continues to echo as an unfinished task of our shared history.”

Content translated using artificial intelligence