In Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted 4 April, 2008 at 1:05 pm by Kevin
Filed Under Activism, Memorial, No Category, U.S. Studies |

I’d like to take the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death (I feel odd writing “anniversary.” The slight connotation of celebration is hard for me to shake, yet I can think of no better word right now.) to repost the Ten OTHER Things Martin Luther King Said video. In the wake of the shameful support of the Dunbar Village rapists by the West Palm Beach NAACP, In the wake of this shameful Democratic Presidential nomination, I feel we are in a crisis. In looking back, in memory, there is strength. Which is not to say that we should wallow in the good old days of yesteryear, as if they ever existed, but to say that truthful memory can be our foundation for creating the visions of justice and joy that so many of us seek. There is an old proverb; I forget where it comes from, but I believe it is of Chinese origin:

“To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.”

I’ve written before about the selective memory so many seem to have with regards Dr. Kings life. Marian Wright Edelman from The Root does a good job of reminding us of the fullness and richness of Dr. King’s legacy:

Too many of us would rather celebrate than follow Dr. King. Some of us have enshrined Dr. King the dreamer, but have ignored Dr. King the disturber of all unjust peace. Many celebrate King the orator, but ignore his words and warnings about the need for reordering the misguided values and priorities he believed to be the seeds of America’s downfall. Many remember King the vocal opponent of violence, but not King who called for massive nonviolent civil disobedience to challenge the stockpiling of weapons of death and the wars they fuel.

We choose to ignore his warnings that the excessive materialism of the greedy deprives the needy of the basic necessities of life. And as many of us trivialize or sanitize Dr. King’s words, we would rather build a monument or name a street or school after him than build the new nation and world he called for. His greatness lay in his willingness to struggle to hear and see the truth; to not give into fear, uncertainty and despair; to continue to grow and to never lose hope, despite every discouragement from his government and even his closest friends and advisers.

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