Translation of the Dutch text by Shirley Haasnoot | Photos: Peter Valckx
Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) was an American civil rights activist before she married the pastor who inspired the world with the words I have a dream. Yet she did not walk alongside her husband during the March on Washington on 28 August 1963, in which some 250,000 demonstrators protested against the unequal position of black Americans.
Along with other female leaders of the civil rights movement, Scott King walked along a side street parallel to the official route of the protest march. The women had been asked to 'keep in the background', human rights lawyer Nani Jansen Reventlow said during the annual Martin Luther King Lecture on Thursday, 9 October 2025.
In the Aula of VU Amsterdam, she showed how precisely Coretta's fight against injustice, and that of countless other women in the background, can inspire us to change the world. We must hurry, she said, because we do not have much time left. From behind her pulpit, she briefly raised her hands: 'The world is a mess.'
'The most important responsibility we have is to change our destructive policies'
The Martin Luther King Lecture is an important event at VU Amsterdam and this year's theme was 'Radical Social Justice'. The lecture not only commemorates the legacy of Martin Luther King (1929–1968), but also keeps it alive as an inspiration for the current zeitgeist.
Jansen Reventlow, consistently and affectionately called 'Nani' by moderator Tanja Jadnanansing, is author of the collection Radical Justice and founder of the organisation Systemic Justice. In her lecture 'Every one of us can be the revolution', she warned against worshipping heroes like Martin Luther King.
The big issues, such as climate change, inequality, genocides, institutional racism and modern slavery, are interconnected. And we ourselves, however imperfect and limited we are, must take action. 'We ourselves are the heroes we need.'
Even later on that August day in 1963, when Reverend King delivered his famous speech, women remained in the shadows, Jansen Reventlow told. While it was precisely they who played a crucial role in organising, planning and funding the civil rights movement. And Rosa Parks, the black woman who would not stand up for a white man on a bus in Alabama in 1955, stood among the protesters in Washington, but on stage only the male leaders spoke.
'The most important responsibility we have is to change the destructive policies we have,' Jansen Reventlow said. For that, we should not wait for a messianic leader who is strong and male.
'We have to accept that not everyone will experience the change we are working for'
In the second part of her lecture she discussed what we can do as individuals: immerse ourselves in what is going on, have big dreams, don't be perfectionist, have faith in your own strengths, be in solidarity with others and be aware that everything is interconnected. And in addition, we need to be patient. 'We have to accept that not everyone will experience the change we are working for in our lives.'
Martin Luther King also did not experience the consequences of abolishing racial segregation in the United States. In our present day, he is praised for preaching non-violence and love. But when he was appointed an honorary doctor of social sciences at VU Amsterdam 60 years ago, on 20 October 1965, most Americans thought he was a terrorist and a dangerous radical.
'Restorative justice can help us build a safer and more resilient society'
The evening's theme of 'radical social justice' was also embraced by the evening's other speakers. Associate Professor Nieke Elbers, affiliated with the law school, advocated restorative justice, an approach that focuses on repairing the damage of a crime rather than just punishing. In the Netherlands, VU Amsterdam is the only university to offer a master's programme on the subject. 'Done well, restorative justice can help us build a more secure and resilient society.'
Through dance and song, the theme was brought to life by dancer Jordan Achiano, together with OTION — the stage name of singer and dancer Guillermo Armand Blinker. 'A performance that speaks a different language - the language of body, rhythm and resonance,' Jadnanansing aptly said.
Winner of the Spoken Word contest was South African law student Thabang Mnculwane, who is studying at VU this year. He was literally speechless as he stood on stage to loud applause. 'I don't know what to say.'
The evening ended with the farewell of Dave Ensberg-Kleijkers. He had been involved with the Martin Luther King Lecture Foundation since 2012, the last five years of which as chairman. From hands of Margrethe Jonkman, President of the Executive Board, he received a statuette of Martin Luther King. 'He was my parents' hero,' he said to loud applause.
Jonkman praised him for his great commitment to young people. Ensberg-Kleijkers is chairman of the board of Zonova, the school umbrella under which fall 19 primary schools in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. 'I will continue the decolonisation of schools,' he said. 'We are going to name a school after Rosa Parks. That's where this statue is going to have a place.'
