The Role of Love in the Struggle for Social Justice

“Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth”¦ This is the real message of love.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh

We are students at Union Theological Seminary, which understands part of its mission as reimagining the work of justice. What is the role of the love in struggle for social justice? Can love in this context coexist with righteous anger?

It is our hope that this discussion will point to the deep interconnection between the personal and social, looking at both individual and collective manifestations of love in the world.

The Rubin Museum invites you to take a seat at the table. Throughout our Year of Power, we are hosting The Long Table, an open-source participatory project conceived by artist and activist Lois Weaver, which provides a forum for visitors and community groups to engage in a series of conversations on sharing power.The Long Table is supported by Shelley and Donald Rubin.

About the Hosts

The Thích Nhất Hạnh Program for Engaged Buddhism (TNHEB) promotes academic and public education aimed at cultivating diverse Buddhist responses to pressing social issues. It seeks to generate innovative and informed discourse on topics, such as violence, climate change, racism, poverty and economic inequality, incarceration, gender and sexuality, religious pluralism, and the intersection of contemplative practice and social action.