The beloved community begins

by Courtney E. Martin                              

Many of us have been thinking about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this week. People have emailed one another their favorite of his quotations, dedicated themselves to a day of service, and re-watched some of his most salient speeches. It seems fitting that at this time, in this season, that the Center has launched a new kind of, in King's words, "beloved community." 

Nearly 700 people, friends new and old, living all over the country, have signed up to be part of Healing Democracy Action Circles for the next six months. We will be gathering in our local communities--in church basements and classrooms, living rooms and cafes--to explore the five habits of the heart that Parker Palmer describes in his most recent book, Healing the Heart of Democracy.

I'll be your guide of sorts, sending you prompts via this blog, Facebook, and Twitter (via @couragerenewal). As a writer and civic entrepreneur, it's my hope that these little jolts of inspiration will weave the experience into the fabric of your daily life, not complicate it further. We hope that the digital space that The Center occupies will mirror the physical spaces that you and your beloved communities gather in for this first half of 2012--places of fresh thinking, authentic expression, rejuvenated moral imagination.