{"id":14258,"date":"2026-01-22T03:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T03:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=14258"},"modified":"2026-01-22T03:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T03:11:19","slug":"paul-pribbenow-mlk-remarks-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2026\/01\/22\/paul-pribbenow-mlk-remarks-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Pribbenow: ‘Justice cannot be separated from human dignity’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paul C. Pribbenow, president of Augsburg University, delivered these remarks at Augsburg’s 39th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation at Hoversten Chapel on January 19, 2026.
\n<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Good afternoon, Augsburg community\u2014students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors, and friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we come together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a moment to reflect on the enduring legacy of Dr. King\u2014on his vision of justice, his call to courageous action, and his unshakable belief that \u201cinjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, celebrating Dr. King\u2019s life and work takes on particular urgency here in the Twin Cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent weeks, our region has been the focus of one of the largest federal immigration enforcement operations in U.S. history, with up to 2,000 agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and other departments mobilized across Minneapolis\u2013St. Paul. Federal authorities describe the operation as the largest ever and say it targets alleged immigration fraud and individuals with outstanding orders of removal.<\/span><\/p>\n

This federal presence has reverberated far beyond law-enforcement circles. We have seen protests grow into the tens of thousands as community members voice grief and outrage\u2014particularly following the shooting death of Ren\u00e9e Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident killed during an ICE enforcement action, which has become a rallying point for calls for accountability and justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many in our own Augsburg community have felt the impact directly. Last December, federal immigration officers entered our campus and detained a student in a parking lot without a warrant,<\/b> an action I publicly condemned as unlawful and inconsistent with our core values of dignity and due process.<\/span><\/p>\n

These events raise profound questions about who is safe in our city and in our campus community\u2014and what justice looks like in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. King taught that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice only when people of conscience act. He understood that justice cannot be separated from human dignity\u2014that policies and tactics that instill fear, erode trust, or divide communities must be confronted with moral clarity, compassion, and courage.<\/span><\/p>\n

So today, I reaffirm Augsburg University\u2019s commitment to:<\/span><\/p>\n