As an exemplar of American prophetic voice, Martin Luther King Jr. illustrates a dynamic breadth of public advocacy amidst shifting power dynamics. In this essay, I outline three vital communication practices that support prophetic voice for social change: standpoint, strategic interaction through facework, and co-cultural resistance. I shape these practices in conversation with communication theorists Sandra Harding, Erving Goffman, Stella Ting-Toomey, and Mark Orbe. I additionally pair standpoint, strategic interaction, and co-cultural resistance with three examples from King's struggle for justice: (1) Proximal Power and Standpoint: Montgomery Bus Boycott; (2) Intermediate Power and Strategic Interaction: Selma to Montgomery March; (3) Peripheral Power and Co-cultural Resistance: Sermon at Riverside Christian Church. King's prophetic voice matured from the courage of standpoint, to the courage of strategic interaction, to the courage of cultural resistance. This maturation of prophetic voice and advocacy is now so desperately needed among all allies for racial justice.
