The ability to express ourselves freely in ways that do no harm to others and to peacefully assemble in protest of injustices are critical to the well-being and flourishing of the human community. 

The philosopher John Stuart Mill made the case that even when we think a dissenting view is wrong, it is still important that persons have the freedom to express those views as long as they are not harming others. We are all fallible human beings, and it is important for dissenting voices to be heard as a way of challenging us to thincritically about our own views. How many times have there been ideas expressed in the past that were viewed as wrong at the time, but are now viewed as both correct and helpful for the happiness and well-being of persons in the human community? in fact every bit of process in human history was made possible by persons who were courageous enough to speak out against the prevailing norms of their time and place. Even if the dissenting view is not accepted immediately, it can be a seed for progress in the future. 

The history of the Supreme Court of the United States has provided us with numerous examples that exemplify that  dissenting opinions have been some of the very best opinions expressed by the justices on the court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the most famous for her dissenting opinions in recent times, and I hope there may be a day in the future when many of her dissenting opinions will become the prevailing opinion of the Supreme Court. And let us not forget the scathing dissent penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to give the President of the United States absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for all official acts taken while in office in which she wrote, “With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

Another famous dissenter on the Supreme Court was Justice Louis D. Brandeis whose dissenting opinions during his tenure on the court from 1916 to 1939 became the basis for many future opinions that upheld the right of freedom of speech and the right to privacy. Brandeis’ dissenting opinion became the seeds for future progress and the protection of core human rights – rights that tragically have come under systematic and violent assault during the past two and half months as people are being abducted, detained, deported, and sometimes disappeared without due process; and some of the persons being abducted, detained, and deported are being so simply because they have expressed political opinions and opinions about human rights that are dissenting from the current presidential administration. These assaults on the right to free speech, the right to freedom of assembly, and the right to privacy represent what we will someday view as one of the darkest chapters in American history; and if unchecked, it could very well lead to the death of our democracy and the end of the freedoms it is meant to protect. 

Autocrats of the past and present cannot tolerate dissent. This is not because they are strong, but because they are weak. 

Fascists are emboldened more by the silence of those who know they are evil but say and do nothing than they are by the praise of their supporters. As Martin Luther King Jr. so powerfully reminds us, “One who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as one who helps to perpetrate it. One who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” He goes further to state, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” And As Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate and survivor of Auschwitz, said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.”

When attempts are being made to silence dissent, it is precisely the time when the voices of dissent are most needed. When people are being abducted, deported, and disappeared without any due process, we must dissent. When states are passing anti-woke laws, whitewashing history, and devaluing the lives and experiences of LGBTQ2S+ persons, this is precisely the time when silence, especially silence from allies, is unacceptable. We must dissent. 

Many persons do not dissent because they are afraid of what others will think of them, or they are afraid of negative consequences, but part of being a mature and responsible person is to be okay with persons not liking you or working against you when you speak out against systemic injustice. Keep in mind that MLK had a 75% disapproval rating in the last year of his life because he spoke out against the war in Vietnam. It is not possible to create positive social change without some sacrifice and without willing to experience some social rejection and even suffering.

Dissenting in times like these is essential, but is also critical that we are being responsible with our right to dissent. Our dissenting views should be based in our best understanding of the truth. We should do all we can to avoid misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda that persuades with falsehoods and half-truths. This is challenging in our digital age when lies full of fear and hate travel much faster and farther than the truth, but it is essential if we are to be responsible in our dissenting speech and actions. 

We are not dissenting simply for the sake of dissenting or to be a contrarian. We are dissenting for the sake of a better society for all persons and for all life. We are dissenting for the shared values that we hold so dear: Interdependence, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Generosity, and Justice all surrounding and supported by love at the center. We are dissenting out of solidarity for the most vulnerable among us even if they don’t look like us, believe like us, or experience the world like us. We are dissenting for the sake of Beloved Community. 

I will conclude with some more wisdom from Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize lecture: 

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. The Talmud tells us that by saving a single human being, one can save the world.”

May we not fail to protest. May we not fail to dissent. 

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