Abstract

This essay considers how Martin Luther King Jr.’s well-known call for a “revolution of values” is complicated by the production and circulation of value in a capitalist society. By approaching King’s work through the lens of value-form theory, and building explicitly on the emerging literature on racial capitalism and the Black radical tradition, the paper contributes to both the resurgence of interest in Marxist thought and the ongoing recovery of the radical and internationalist dimensions of King’s legacy. It also underscores the importance of anchoring contemporary Black politics within a critical theory of global economic crisis.