Dear Loyola Community,
As we begin the spring semester being careful due to inclement weather, I hope you are starting the year refreshed, invigorated and excited about the year ahead. I look forward to seeing you reconnect with your classmates, friends, faculty and mentors as we dive into another busy semester.
While it’s a time to celebrate the start of a new chapter, I also want to encourage you to take time this week to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What better way to recognize his momentous impact than to consider how his lessons can be applied today?
I want to share a quote from his memoir on the Montgomery bus boycotts, published in 1958. King says, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” The quote also appears on his memorial in Washington – a testament to the power and relevance of his words more than 60 years later.
In this quote, King reminds us that superficial tranquility can easily be mistaken for harmony. But achieving true peace requires much more – an intentional focus on pursuing justice for all. He calls on us to remain dedicated to dismantling barriers and building a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their ethnicity, sexuality, gender, or faith. A path to true peace requires conviction, commitment and courage.
At this moment in history, Dr. King’s quote resonates mightily. All our eyes are on the conflict in the Middle East where so many lives have tragically been lost, both Israeli and Palestinian. Let us join together to fervently pray for peace and the end of the senseless loss of life. As Loyola students, I know you understand the importance of his words and how they relate to our Jesuit values. You also understand that we all have a unique role in creating a more just future.
Let’s go into our next chapter open to new ideas on how we can be catalysts for change – here in our own community and in the world.
Peace and blessings,
Dr. Xavier Cole
President
