20th Annual MLK Jr. Redeeming The Prophetic Vision: CHAOS OR COMMUNITY
Schedule
Sun Jan 18 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
Evergreen Tacoma | Tacoma, WA
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Join us Sunday, January 18th, for the 20th Annual MLK Jr. Redeeming The Prophetic Vision: CHAOS OR COMMUNITYThe Evergreen State College, Tacoma Campus (1210 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405)
2 pm - 4 pm: Community Service and Social Justice Award (DOORS OPEN AT 1:30 PM)
We Can Redeem Martin Luther King’s Prophetic Vision! Under this year’s theme, CHAOS OR COMMUNITY, The Conversation 253, in partnership with community groups and organizations, including Associated Ministries, The Evergreen State College, Tacoma Campus, Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America, and Black Panther Party, calls on our beloved community to resist the chaos of our current crises by bringing resolve, resources, and renewed commitment to our twin tasks: sustaining The Beloved Community wherever it manifests and expanding its reach to include the vulnerable, the beleaguered, the excluded, the forgotten.
This theme invites us to examine how we can embody Dr. King’s enduring call to action: “There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect . . . We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos and community.”¹
This intergenerational, multi-ethnic, and participatory event will feature uplifting performances by local artists and musicians, blessings and libations from spiritual leaders, and the presentation of the 2025 Social Justice Awards. Attendees will also learn from local groups providing innovative approaches to creating resilient and diverse communities grounded in equity and justice.
REGISTER HERE:http://weblink.donorperfect.com/MLK
YOUR SUPPORT IS WARMLY RECEIVED! This event is funded entirely by donations. We use the money to compensate artists, musicians, speakers and vendors, and to pay for the social justice awards and the food shared at the event. We need and appreciate your help in honoring the time and talent of local artists and community members in working toward Dr. King’s prophetic vision.
DONATE HERE: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/MLK
WHAT TO BRING TO THE EVENT
Community Resources: As part of the event’s restorative experience—if you’re able—please bring donations of warm clean clothing (hats, gloves, ponchos, jackets, etc.) camping gear (tents, tarps, 18-hr hand warmers, etc.) and toiletries (including deodorant and feminine hygiene products) for our unhoused neighbors.
WHAT ARE WE WORKING TOWARDS?
Chaos or community? This question calls us to actively resist inhumane assaults on access to food, housing, health care, and education; to extend freedom of movement, assembly, and speech wherever and whenever these rights are obstructed; and to reimagine our societal structures and social bonds so that we move beyond makeshift repairs to transformative change across all communities. We work to heed Dr. King’s words and to translate them into fierce, compassionate action. He writes:
“Every society has its protectors of the status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. But today our very survival depends upon our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, and to face the challenge of change.”²
How Do We Get There:
Through Community Action: Highlighting partnerships that drive equity in municipal systems, education, and health care.
Through Motivating Future Generations: Through innovation and showcasing alternative approaches to development and resilience that foster collective well-being.
Through Individual Contribution: Applying our skills and experience where they can best serve and extend the common good.
Through Collaboration: Strengthening bonds across diverse groups and generations, both locally and internationally, to sustain momentum for justice and peace.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
The Conversation 253 is a group of Tacoma and South Sound residents committed to building diverse, critically engaged communities of justice. We promote social justice through ideas, ideals, and action.
Our goal is to model a just, open, compassionate community.
Our foundational principle is “Justice for All.”
We are a family, an affinity group, a think tank, and a safe house. We envision a world free of racism, mistrust, and intentional harm.
We welcome people of every race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, religion, and sexual orientation and all who live with physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
The Conversation 253 meets Sundays, 1 - 3 pm at The Evergreen State College, Tacoma Campus. Our schedule is evolving.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to find out more.
You may also contact us here to be added to our email list: [email protected].
Additional Links
19th Annual MLK Event: The Spirit of the Work: Meeting the Moment!:
18th Annual MLK Event: Building A Safe Community (Full Album)
17 thAnnual MLK Event:Calling In The Beloved Community(Full Album)
16th Annual MLK Jr Redeeming the Prophetic Vision 2022
Footnotes
¹ Martin Luther King Jr., “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” speech delivered at Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967. Accessed via the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
² Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (Boston: Beacon Press, 1967). Quoted from an excerpt published in The New Yorker.
The 2025-2026 MLK-Redeeming the Prophetic Vision Planning Committee
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Where is it happening?
Evergreen Tacoma, 1210 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405-4003, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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