MLKJ on the power of true civility

Also, the video of my remarks hosted by Carmel, IN, City council; link to my conversation with Andrew Sullivan; "porching" has come to Sweden, and more!

Gracious reader,

Today we’ll explore:

• MLKJ on the power of true civility

• Link to my talk in Carmel, IN, hosted by Carmel City Council

• Link to my conversation with Andrew Sullivan

• Notes from the book tour: Photo from Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, TN, and looking ahead!

• The “Porching" revolution has come to Sweden!

MLKJ on the power of true civility

Today, we celebrate the life of an intellectual giant who made our world a more just and equal and beautiful place: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There’s a reason I draw from his life and thought in my book, The Soul of Civility: he’s a model to us for why the power of true civility, grounded on the “bedrock of human dignity,” can heal our world in tumultuous times.

FUN FACT: Dr. King, in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, offers an insight that gave me the title of my book, The Soul of Civility.

Dr. King says that segregation hurts both segregator and segregated— it deforms the SOUL of both. So does incivility: cruelty and degrading the personhood and dignity of another human being hurts others, but hurts our own souls, too.

We’re inextricably connected. In our high-stakes era of apocalyptic rhetoric, we insufficiently appreciate the way in which hurting others hurts us as well.

Discover more about this insight in an excerpt of my book I recorded from The Soul of Civility’s Introduction.

I’ve shared below an excerpt from my chapter of The Soul of Civility on Civil Disobedience, which is central to the tradition of true civility.

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Civility and Civil Disobedience

When confronted with an evil injustice such as slavery, what can be done? Can civility be reconciled with disobeying the law passed and enacted by civis? Can it be civil to defy prevailing norms of social decorum that protect an unjust status quo?

In the introduction to this book we explored insights from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” about why civility supports civil disobedience, or the principled, intentional breaking of laws and norms. Sometimes people break individual laws and norms that undermine the overall rule of law and basic human equality. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks broke Chapter 6, Section 11 of the Montgomery City Code in protest of a specific Jim Crow law that discriminated against persons of color, and was subsequently arrested.

Counterintuitively, her lawbreaking action manifested re- spect for the rule of law, because the law she broke violated the rule of law in the first place. The paradox of civility is that sometimes breaking laws and norms is an important way of respect- ing the equality of all persons, supporting the rule of law, and promoting the democratic project. Parks broke a law with the intent of making the law more just for Americans.

In democratic republics like America, where all citizens are equal under the law, the right to protest is a duty of citizenship when the right to equal justice under the law is withheld from certain members of the population. When the equality of some citizens is not recognized, civil disobedience is necessary. In- deed, civility—the duties of citizenship—sometimes requires disobedience.

America’s right to disobey and protest is enshrined in its founding documents. Members of the American civis are entitled to certain rights, and with those rights come the responsibilities of citizenship. Sometimes, as Edward Coles taught us, protest against unjust laws or norms is a duty of citizenship.

As we learned in Chapter 1, a truly civilized civis is one where legal institutions, and the habits of citizens, are oriented toward respecting the inherent dignity and equal- ity of all. A civilized society depends on the character—the ci- vility—of its citizens. Recognizing equality means recognizing inherent human dignity. It is what promotes humaneness in hu- man communities.

When certain members of the civis are deprived of basic rights—either through formal, legal institutions or through in- formal norms—it is the responsibility of other members of the civis to protest that unjust deprivation.

As Dr. King wrote in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” throughout history people have challenged prevailing laws in loyalty to a higher, moral law. From Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s rejection of the laws of King Nebuchadnezzar, to early Christians who were willing to face the lions rather than renounce their faith, to those who participated in the Boston Tea Party, protest and civil disobedience have been shown to illuminate the soul of civility.

How do we determine when such action is warranted?

Dr. King offers us a framework for understanding when the duties of the civis require disobedience of prevailing norms and laws. He wrote in his letter, “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law or norm contradicts moral law.” He continues, “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” It is at times our duty as citizens to disobey immoral laws and norms that deprive— that violate the rights of other citizens and degrade the human personality.

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To continue reading, support local bookshops and buy your copy of my book through Bookshop.org!

“How can we embody your book in our city?”

Last week, I shared a story about a reader of The Soul of Civility—a local politician from Carmel, Indiana, Jeff Worrell, who sought me out to see how the ideas of my book could be embodied in his community.

“Can Carmel become the most civil city in America?”

Jeff asked me this me at our public conversation that drew over three hundred people in person at the Carmel Library, and hundreds more online.

You can enjoy my remarks below.

Read the article about the event here.

It was wonderful to meet so many people from a community that has been hurt by the way that our national divisions have caused local, personal fissures—and are ready to do something about it.

Stay tuned as I work with Carmel to develop tools that other local leaders can bring to and implement in their community as we all seek to navigate these divided times, and discover answers to the most important question of our day: how can we flourish amid deep difference?

Write to me if you’re interested in bringing the ideas of The Soul of Civility to your community, and might be interested in trying out the tools that we’re developing now!

ah@alexandraohudson.com

Link to my conversation with Andrew Sullivan

Enjoy one of my most contentious interviews about my book to date with Andrew Sullivan on his popular podcast, The Dishcast! Andrew was nonetheless a gracious host and I adore the conversation. Hope you do, too!

Alexandra Hudson On The Struggle For Civility

Notes from the book tour

Thanks to everyone who joined Spencer Klaven and me at Landmark Bookshop in Franklin, last week! It was wonderful to meet several members of the CR community for the first time.

Looking ahead, I’ll be in Montgomery, AL, Miami, FL, and Vancouver, Canada!

Take a look at the Book Tour and write to me if you’d like to plan an event in your city!

The “Porching" revolution has come to Sweden!

Thrilled to wake up this morning to this review of my book in the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.

In case your Swedish is a bit rusty, the author, Paulina Neuding, talks about how this year, she resolves to “porch” more.

The article has received great feedback on social media, and was even shared by the Swedish Social Minister, suggesting the book has reached the Swedish government.

Enjoy the article here.

Thank you for being part of the CR Community, and happy MLKJ day!