“The Fierce Urgency of Now” — Michelle Alexander and Lucas Johnson
Topics discussed
Introduction: MLK's 1967 Riverside Church speech
Krista Tippett introduces guests and context
Lucas Johnson on Vincent Harding's legacy
Story of Dr. King's final moments
Michelle Alexander on meeting Vincent Harding
Why the 1967 speech remains relevant today
Alexander's depression after New Jim Crow
Harding's challenge to cultivate moral clarity
Defining nonviolence beyond absence of harm
The Black freedom struggle as ongoing work
Zahara Simmons on the depth of nonviolence
Facing racial history and systemic injustice
Silences in politics and the cost of truth
Evolution of vision: Saving the soul of America
Relational organizing and truth-telling
Risks of prophetic speech and political courage
War is terrorism: Flipping the narrative
Live human signposts and local action
Spirit of Justice and the void in faith
Mysticism in the movement: Howard Thurman
Vincent Harding's voice on democracy and love
Closing credits and acknowledgments
Listen ad-free on Castria