Yesterday, the 19th of January, was Martin Luther King's Day.
(Yes, the date varies each year, since it is on the third of every Monday of January.)
In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was killed on the 4th of April, on the day, a year after he had announced his opposition to the ongoing war in Vietnam. He said he could not reprimand the violent black youth in the slums of US cities as their leaders had made the country the most violent of nations.
In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. That is one of the most respected prize nominations in the Nobel Peace Prize's history. It took another 10 years and two presidents to bring that war to a close. But no one denies King's contribution to that. King was a "True champion for Peace" in Alfred Nobel's spirit.
The times they are a-changing. In 2025, the Nobel committee rewarded war mongers and applauded violent and militarized regime change. But violence and war are in fashion, Pope Leo announced with regret on New Year's Eve. The Norwegian government is led by people who hold that "Weapons are the way to peace" and rejoice that youth are willing to die for their country. The word Peace hardly appears outside the halls of the Nobel ceremony. But committees come and go. Wrongs can be corrected. Time will tell.
This year's nomination is to be scrutinized by the Swedish guardians of foundational law, Kammarkollegiet. Their verdict is, indeed, a verdict with consequences!
