In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Lerone Martin, Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University and author of The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover. A nationally respected scholar, Dr. Martin explores how history, faith, and race intersect, and how those forces continue to shape the way we live and connect with one another today.

From growing up in Ohio to now stewarding Dr. King’s papers, Dr. Martin reflects on the responsibility of preserving a legacy, the difference between fear and faith, and the everyday ways we can find the divine in one another. He reminds us that progress doesn’t come from perfection but from commitment, one conversation, one act of service, one bridge at a time.

In a world that feels increasingly polarized, Dr. Martin offers a grounded vision of hope: that we can learn from history without erasing it, that empathy is a practice, and that community begins when we choose connection over isolation.

Bridging Divides: Local leaders reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s message in a polarized age

The MLK Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/

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