We Can't Accept an Obnoxious Negative Peace
In a 1956 sermon, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the presence of justice.” He expanded on this idea in his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” describing an “obnoxious negative peace” as a state where people passively accept injustice. He argued that true peace involves the active pursuit of justice, where all people respect each other’s dignity. Freedom to Read Project is a place where parents and community members can collaborate, find support, and lead a united movement to ensure equal access to educational opportunities through our public schools and libraries.
In a 1956 sermon, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the presence of justice.” He expanded on this idea in his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” describing an “obnoxious negative peace” as a state where people passively accept injustice. He argued that true peace involves the active pursuit of justice, where all people respect each other’s dignity.
King explained that nonviolent direct action doesn’t create tension but exposes it, revealing the hidden social fractures that need addressing. The real creators of tension, he argued, are those who enforce unjust laws and systems, yet they wrongly blame those who resist as disturbers of peace. He also noted that many who call him an extremist for his activism fail to recognize the radical love and justice of figures like Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.
Today, the efforts to remove or limit teaching, discussing, or promoting topics centered around social justice and anti-discrimination are focused on restoring an “obnoxious negative peace,” where the privileged stay comfortable while the disadvantaged face growing hardships. Universal vouchers are sold as a solution to a manufactured distrust in public education. Proponents promise that everyone will have access to high-quality private school options. However, the reality is they can’t guarantee that your child will be accepted by the private school of your choice, nor that the voucher will cover the full cost of private education. As seen in Florida, most of the people now using universal vouchers towards private education were already attending private schools. Essentially, these vouchers serve as a tax break for the wealthy on an investment they were already making. Meanwhile, as billions of taxpayer dollars are being funneled into private education devoid of basic accountability structures, new state policies continue to underfund, over-test, and restrict access to our neighborhood public schools.
We cannot afford to be complacent. We must call out attempts to defund public education, to rewrite history, to build distrust in public education, to prioritize the rights of some parents while infringing on the rights of others - to return to a time when certain groups were excluded from the promise of equal treatment under the law.
We must reject the “obnoxious negative peace” and secure a fairer future for all Americans.
What does that action look like?
It’s so much easier than you might think.
It looks like engaging with your elected officials, making sure they understand your expectations for policies that protect equality and the pursuit of happiness—education, health, housing, work, marriage, and the freedom of and from religion (especially in our public schools and other taxpayer-funded programs).
It’s showing up at local meetings—schools, councils, and libraries—and speaking up for policies that advance justice through thriving public schools and social support programs that ensure our communities are safe and healthy places to live and work.
It’s contributing your talents to advocacy efforts that involve writing, messaging, teaching, or hosting local events.
It’s taking the time to engage in thoughtful conversations with those who may hold differing beliefs, especially on issues that impact us all (education, housing, healthcare, insurance, climate, etc). Practice patience with others, as you would with your own children, listening to their concerns and guiding them toward solutions that consider the needs and impacts on all communities.
Those orchestrating this false sense of peace are organized, aiming to overwhelm us until we give up and give in. Finding or creating spaces for community action will help you endure what could be a long journey to true peace. Larger coalition efforts can help with shared resources, expanded reach, and task efficiency when it comes to overlapping issues.
If education access or anti-censorship is a priority for you, we’re here to help. The Freedom to Read Project is a nonpartisan, parent-led nonprofit working to ensure public schools are accessible spaces of academic integrity and intellectual freedom. We are part of a national effort to protect students’ right to access information and ideas by supporting fellow, everyday citizens in their local and state advocacy.
This moment requires action, not waiting. We must keep looking for the next right thing to do. True peace is found in our collective efforts.