As we take time today to honor Martin Luther King Junior, it
is important that we do not fall victim to celebrating a hollow caricature of
the actual man that lived and died for the cause of civil rights. If you are serious about reflecting on King’s
life and legacy, here are some things I would recommend:
- Read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Sadly, the most people know of King are excerpts from his “I Have a Dream” speech. Letter is much more nuanced, and raises some interesting questions. In it, he blames white moderates more than overt racists (like the Klan) for the problems facing African Americans. I am asking you to read it to challenge both your personal beliefs and your individual conception of the history of the civil rights movement.
- Find the time to watch or read a couple of King’s speeches beyond “I Have a Dream.” Personally, the most profound speech he gave was his last – usually dubbed his “Mountaintop” speech.
- Reflect on how we view King now versus how he was viewed in his lifetime. In 1963, 60% of Americans thought the March on Washington was a bad idea. In 1964, 63% of Americans thought the Civil Rights movement pushed too fast. 58% said they were violent. And in 1966, 72% of white Americans had an unfavorable view of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (all of these were shared again today by the Southern Poverty Law Center). Ask yourself: why has this changed? Have we recognized – with the benefit of hindsight – the value of his tactics and what he was fighting for? Or have we forgotten some of the elements of King’s philosophy and actions?
- Expand your understanding of King and other Civil Rights Reformers. Read about the Poor People’s Campaign, King’s fight against the Vietnam conflict, or why King felt that the mobs he saw in Chicago were more hateful than anything he experienced in Mississippi or Alabama.
This should rightfully be a day of service – but since the
weather really is not allowing that – let it be a day of self-reflection. Expand your understanding of the Civil Rights
Movement that King was a part of, and ask yourself: how well would he be
received if he was active today rather
than fifty years ago? How welcome would
his message be? And how do we continue
his mission to make our country a more welcome and tolerant place?
