In 1934 a version of the phrase was used in a sermon by Rev. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. Justice will not fail, though wickedness appears strong, and has on its side the armies and thrones of power, the riches and the glory of the world, and though poor men crouch down in despair. For example, if one’s passion is helping domestic violence survivors, but there are no jobs available in non-profit organizations, a student might consider a prosecutor’s office. This is historical material “frozen in time”. To students who are committed to service but worried about the difficulty of finding jobs in this challenging economy, I advise flexibility and patience. December 29, 2016. In Grant Park, as Barack Obama left the stage, you could see that arc bend. And 50 years after King's death, that’s the most brutal reality we must confront.For 100 years, the high-water mark of African-American political power and liberty was federal Reconstruction policies in the decade following the Civil War. That was the context in which he brought up “the arc of the moral universe,” assuring us all that he and the “international community” believed the arc would bend “toward justice.”It was a strange choice of phrase from the president who rode to office on slogans not about any long arcs of anything, but “this is our moment,” “now is our time.” Apparently that was fine for things like 2,000 pages of ObamaCare legislation. Enough with the arc, already. Like a number of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous pronouncements, that proclamation was, itself, a quotation. As we survey the empirical measures of racial integration and racial equality in the past half century, one can make the argument that what followed King's death was a period of backlash and retrenchment perhaps less violent than what came after Reconstruction, but that unmistakably erased many of the gains of the movement King helped lead.To wit: School segregation declined for decades and then sharply reversed, so that schools in all regions have been getting more segregated. Robed and hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan gather to burn a cross and pledge support for the Kanawha County anti-textbook movement on Feb. 15, 1975 in Charleston, West Virginia. I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. Each of us who works for social change is part of the mosaic of all who work for justice; together we can accomplish multitudes. In December, when the Iranian government cracked down violently on mass protests, Obama put out a statement promising: “We will continue to bear witness.” This past March, while wishing all and sundry a Obama has also brandished the arc in other contexts, including his remarks with Chinese President Hu Jintao last July, when it was “Anyway, whether it is an arc or an arch that Obama had in mind when his human rights advisor spoke up this week, it’s time to give it a rest. It does not allow for what is perhaps the most significant feature of the story of racial justice in America: backlash and backwards movement. Justice will not fail and perish out from the world of men, nor will what is really wrong and contrary to God’s real law of justice continually endure.In 1918 a concise instance of the expression similar to the modern version was printed in a book titled “Readings from Great Authors” in a section listing statements attributed to Theodore Parker: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.Here are additional selected citations in chronological.A Euclid Avenue church which displays weekly epigrams on its bulletin board, has this current offering: A newspaper reader recognized that the statement was based on the words of Theodore Parker and notified the columnist. No attribution was given: In 1940 a version was included in a New Year’s message by Rabbi Jacob Kohn in Los Angeles. The passage was reprinted in later collections of Parker’s works. Deborah Ellis serves as Assistant Dean for Public Service at NYU School of Law helping students find their vocation and encouraging them to integrate justice into their work lives.Read the latest blog posts from 1600 Pennsylvania AveTune in to White House events and statements as they happenSee the lineup of artists and performers at the White House Law students yearn to do work that is meaningful and my role is helping students find their Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Change takes a long time, but it does happen. He was fully committed to a great struggle for equality, and urging his followers to keep going. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. It does not mean this obstacle cannot be overcome, that we cannot build skyscrapers or launch ourselves into flight, but those are achievements are only brought to fruition through sustained effort, organizing, intention and struggle.Nothing bends towards justice without us bending it.50 years after King's death, America must confront a brutal reality: The analogy of the long and imperceptibly trending line of progress is wrong.Nothing bends towards justice without us bending it. In the same way you can't tell the earth is round as you walk on it, the trajectory of history is imperceptible as we struggle through it; but rest assured its contours are there.The idea is that the story of the United States is a story of progress, often painful or slow and sometimes stalled but always moving in one direction: towards equality and a more perfect union.This concept also fits nicely with a more general story about American progress we like to tell ourselves, one that Obama was more adept at unspooling than perhaps anyone else ever. The arc of history is long, but it won't ever judge the president's Syria policy kindly. It’s not the long arc/arch of history that protects and engenders freedom — it is the hard work, wisdom and courage of individuals, of which there has been precious little on display in the Oval Office this past year.