THE BELOVED COMMUNITY was founded based upon Dr. King’s global vision of a beloved community in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In Dr. King’s beloved community, poverty, hunger, and homelessness are not tolerated because international standards of human decency do not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice are replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the beloved community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.

The core value of the quest for Dr. King’s beloved community was agape love. One expression of agape love in Dr. King’s beloved community is justice, not for any one oppressed group, but for all people. As Dr. King often said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He felt that justice could not be parceled out to individuals or groups, but was the birthright of every human being.