OPINION:
* These are my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Agriculture or the U.S. government.
In 1983, I made a life-altering decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
That one choice transformed everything: how I see the world; how I view my fellow human beings; and how I understand justice, dignity and life itself. Choosing to follow Jesus Christ has led to immense flourishing in my own life, and I believe, is the only way for our nation to flourish.
We live in a time when fear and division seem to saturate every headline, every policy debate and every community. We argue about borders, ballots, bank accounts and too often forget what binds us together.
As my uncle, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” He did not say this as a political strategist but as a Christian preacher who believed in the eternal truth that we are all made in the image of God. That belief, rooted in Acts 17:26 one blood, one human race should be our starting point, not our afterthought.
Today, we are told that our problems are rooted in our differences. But I believe that the healing of our nation begins when we recognize that we share the same Creator, the same human dignity, and the same divine spark that cries out for justice and mercy. That’s why I’ve committed my life to defending the sanctity of life, from the womb to the tomb and beyond.
Some say that protecting unborn children is a political issue. I say it’s a moral one. Laws that protect babies once a heartbeat can be detected are clear statements that life matters, even when these little ones cannot speak for themselves. I long for the day when abortion is unthinkable in our land!
Yet critics insist that such laws are harmful, particularly to minority communities. But let’s pause and ask: When did it become compassionate to end a life in the name of freedom? When did our solutions for struggle turn into silence for the voiceless?
True empowerment comes from equipping our communities to support mothers, fathers and families, not from eliminating the children that would make them mothers, fathers and families. If we pour the same passion into helping women flourish as others do into defending abortion access, we could build a society that cherishes every life, born and unborn.
My uncle said in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” If the womb is not safe, nowhere is safe. If we lose our reverence for life at its beginning, how can we uphold dignity anywhere else?
This is a spiritual battle, not just a political one. We are in a moral tug-of-war for the soul of America. But we will not win it with anger or fear or finger-pointing. We will win it with truth, with love, with light.
My uncle also taught that “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” That message continues to give us hope today. We don’t need to erase our differences; instead, we need to elevate our shared identity as members of one human family. We come in many colors, but we are not divided in our worth. We are not colorblind; instead, we should look to the heart and character of the individual.
In 2025, amid so much noise, we must return to the quiet clarity of the gospel. We must raise our children with the knowledge that they can be victors through Christ. We must reject the lie that some lives are expendable in order for others to thrive.
Let us remember that our greatest strength is found in the eternal truth that we are one blood, one human race, united under one God. America needs more decisions, not divisions. Decisions for truth, for compassion, for life. And most importantly, we need more people to make the decision that I made in 1983 to follow Jesus Christ.
• Alveda C. King, PhD, serves as the senior advisor on Faith and Community Outreach for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the chair of the Center for the American Dream at America First Policy Institute. She is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and the niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She is the founder of Speak for Life, fighting for the sanctity and dignity of all life from the womb to the tomb.
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