An Ignatian Examen for MLK Day

On January 20, 2020, the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King is so often remembered for his dream of racial equality, so eloquently articulated in his speeches and letters. But, as my guest today, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell of the Jesuit Social Research Institute, reminds us, Dr. King’s legacy is one that calls us to continue challenging the status quo, to live as radically as he did. From #BlackLivesMatter to prison reform, Dr. King’s dream remains, in many ways, just that: a dream that demands action, commitment and change. Dr. Mitchell reflects on King’s legacy for us as Catholics and members of Jesuit institutions. Dr. Mithcell is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned his bachelors and master’s degrees in history and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University. Over the last 9 years, he has served as a teacher in both the public and private school systems, in the community college system, and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a trained community organizer. In 2016, he became a fellow at the Jesuit Social Research Institute with a special focus on race and racism. As we reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and the ongoing scourge race and racism in our country, I encourage each of us to return to that most Ignatian of prayers: the Examen. Let us ask God to reveal where in our daily lives we have ignored or enabled racism, where we are blinded by our privilege, and where we need to ask forgiveness.