“We are moving up the highway of freedom toward the city of equality, and we can’t afford to slow up because our nation has a date with destiny.”
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Source: A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957)
About this quote
In A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957), King uses a collective appeal to examine justice, with attention to moving, highway, freedom. The practical center is the relationship between perseverance and nation and destiny, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.
When to use it
- A community organizer builds a meeting around moving before participants choose one measurable action related to justice.
- A teacher pairs the passage from A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957) with a primary-source exercise about perseverance and public responsibility.
- A team leader uses the tension between highway and destiny to discuss conduct under pressure.