Marshall King helps us hear MJ Sharp’s story
Channel: 91.1 The Globe
Date: 2022-02-01

Marshall King, Elkhart County journalist, recently wrote a new biography, “Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael ‘MJ’ Sharp.” The story covers Sharp’s life, a Mennonite peace worker who was killed while investigating violence in the Congo in 2017. 

“I mean when it happened I just really  felt like this was a really good story…” King said. 

When King decided to take on the daunting task of telling the life story of “MJ” Sharp, he began his research quickly after finding out about Sharp's death.

King said, “I talked to friends and talked to family. I did some travel that first summer of 2017. Did some research and inevitably talked to over 100 people about the book ....”

For King, there were many difficult aspects about writing Sharp’s life story.

“I mean it is a tragic story… dealing with the emotion of it… trying to process that as a human and as a writer, that was hard. But again, it felt like important and even holy work,” King said. 

Continuing the legacy of MJ Sharp doesn’t look the same to everyone. King shares what we can do, even in our own lives. 

“.....We can be bold and have conversations with our neighbors. Search for nonviolent and peaceful solutions. That’s something all of us can do no matter where we live,” King said. 

If you are interested in reading “Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael ‘MJ’ Sharp”  visit bookshop.org. Reporting for Globe News this is Gabriella.