How Do You Remember MLK on Civil Rights Day?

            Tomorrow is Constitution Day, and it is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Therefore, this post will be a commemoration of Dr. King’s life and legacy. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is described as being “remarkable, conscience-searing and life-transforming” but contained “much suffering, sacrifice and surrendering.” This speech is often quoted, but few people understand the sacrifices King made for the civil rights movement. These are the words of The Reverend Theresa A. Dear, a national board member of the NAACP. 

For years, Dr. King traveled the world delivering messages of non-violence, protesting against injustice and advocating for civil rights laws. In so doing, he was often away from his wife, Coretta, and their four children. Dr. King and the King family made significant, countless and untold sacrifices for generations unborn.

It was primarily because of Dr. King’s selfless and courageous leadership that the civil rights movement was imagined, advanced and sustained. He was n original influencer who, without social media or the internet, was able to motivate and mobilize hundreds of thousands of Black and white people to attend the March on Washington in August 1963.

He was an original influencer who, without social media or the internet, was able to motivate and mobilize hundreds of thousands of Black and white people to attend the March on Washington in August 1963.

The March on Washington and Dr. King’s incessant drumbeat of justice and desegregation influenced the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Dr. King referred to this law as nothing less than a “second emancipation.” From this law, many rights and protections were extended to various groups in America, including women, veterans, the disabled and LGBTQ.

            Dear wrote that it was King’s “intellectual capacity, effectual tenacity and spiritual audacity that intrigued and inspired the masses.” However, King also experienced “death threats, ominous calls to his homes at all hours of the night, being abandoned by some fellow clergy members while incarcerated in Birmingham, police profiling, the bombing of his home, being stabbed by a mentally ill Black woman and living under a cloud of crippling and constant fear.”

            According to Dear, King and his family “endured a life of danger without laws or law enforcement to protect them.” Dear claims that we are indebted to King because he forfeited safety “for the greater good of the country.” We commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. because he was willing to make sacrifices for the rest of us.

            Dear compared the words and actions of revisionist leaders to those of King. They “whitewash Black history, academic institutions deny tenure to professors who write about slavery and critical race theory is used as a political lightning rode.” However, the actions of revisionist leaders “are antithetical to Dr. King’s dream.”

Dear wrote, “The denial or attempted erasure of Black history cannot extract, extricate or expunge the indelible sacrifices, contributions and legislation made by Black people. Thus, we are indebted to Dr. King to be guardians of our history.”

When protests erode into the destruction of property, violence against humanity becomes random and crime within Black communities surges, this is contrary to the principles for which Dr. King advocated. The increased violence within the Black community dishonors the legacy of Dr. King, who went to jail more than 20 times for our freedom, rights and protection. Thus, we are indebted to Dr. King to be gatekeepers of our communities and adopt non-violent practices to resolve conflict and hold one another accountable.

When politicians go shamelessly rogue to suppress the right to vote, gentrify communities and promote false propaganda, this defies the tenets of Dr. King’s relentless endeavors of equality and access. Thus, we are indebted to Dr. King to resist, rally and work to repeal agendas that are not fair for all.

Dr. King was a minister, scholar, moral philosopher, follower of Mahatma Gandhi, civil rights leader, legislative advocate, hypnotic orator and brilliant thought leader, strategist and visionary. With his many accomplishments, his masterstroke may have been combining his vulnerability, humanity and faith to effectively serve mankind. For these offerings and many more, his unfinished work is now ours. Continuing his redemptive work is how we pay our debt to the Dreamer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

            Dear decries the actions of some Black people and some politicians who seem to forget King’s desire for peaceful protests. I wonder what she would say about the plans of President Joe Biden to use the advent of Black History Month to issue executive orders that would include parts of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Such orders would work against law enforcement and increase chaos, crime, and danger in communities. 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

           My VIP for today is Martin Luther King, Jr. because today is the day when Americans reflect upon his legacy. It is a national holiday when many offices and schools are closed. When I ran errands today, I found several places closed and less traffic on the highway. King is honored in many other ways, such as having streets and highways named after him. Yet, few people seem to remember the reason for which he marched.

            King had a dream for America, a dream that Americans would one day recognize that they are brothers and sisters no matter the color of their skin. He dreamed of an America that would one day enjoy peace between the races. He dreamed that one day a person would be judged for their character and not the color of their skin. He was an African American marching for equality for black Americans and for Americans of all colors. Even though there is much more equality in the United States today, the script seems to have been flipped as people of color are racist and prejudiced against white people. Somehow, many people of color forget that King’s dream was for equality with each other, not mastery over people of another race.

            Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King, is one person who remembers. As a teenager she marched with her Uncle Martin, and she says that people forget about the spiritual aspect of the work done by her uncle.

            Today Ms. King works for the unborn children. She was at the Right to Life march on Saturday and offered the closing prayer for the event. In an interview by with Rob Bluey and Rachel del Guidice with The Daily Signal, Ms. King shared a summary of one of her uncle’s quotes: “When we learn to value the human personality, we won’t hate anybody.” If we truly want to King’s legacy to mean something in our lives, we must return to his foundational principles of prayer and Bible study.

            King and his niece are absolutely correct. When we realize that every human being is a child of Heavenly Parents as well as sisters or brothers, we will not be able to hate anyone. This includes the unborn children, the elderly, and the disabled as well as people of all colors. We need to look to the spiritual ideas put forth by King and let that be his legacy.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

                We celebrated another Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this week just as we do every year.  Reverend King marched to help African Americans be assimilated into American society.  Yet here we are sixty years later with more divisive conditions than we have had since the death of Reverend King.  We should be asking ourselves why. 

                An article by Peter C. Myers was published by The Daily Signal about the divisions we face.  “Of our present circumstances, we can say that as a nation we are sharply divided over the chronically divisive issue of race – perhaps more dangerously divided over this issue than at any other point in the post-1960s, post-King, post-civil rights era.

                “We are divided over the boundaries of permissible speech on college campuses; over universities’ use of racial and ethnic classifications in admissions; over states’ enactments of stricter voter registration laws; and, above all, over the deaths of various African Americans in encounters with police officers and the consequent emergence of the `Black Lives Matter’ protest movement.

                “Beneath those concrete controversies are divisions touching the republic’s first principles.  At that deep level we divide regarding the nature and grounds of rights, the requisites for the rule of law, the proper mode and extent of racial integration – even over the grounds of allegiance to America.”

                Reverend King said that he had a dream that no one would be judged by the color of their skin.  Why have we become so divisive about something that should never have taken place in the first place? We should be treating each other as human beings regardless of the color of our skin.  We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father.  He loves all His children, and He will hold each responsible in a future day for the way we treat each other.  Oh, how I would like to see some big changes for good in our nation before next Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Martin Luther King

                    As today is a legal, federal holiday named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., I suppose that I should write something about Dr. King.  I wrote the facts of his life and death here; therefore, I do not plan to write them again.

                    It has been nearly fifty years since Dr. King made his "I have a dream" speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  More than 200,000 people were in the crowd that day.  His speech became a rallying cry for black Americans.  This momentous event took place before the Civil Rights Act, before the Voting Rights Act, and before the race riots across our nation. 

                    This speech was a clarion call in an effort to unify our nation in a time of great turmoil.  It was a speech that became a classic of world oratory.  It is a speech that should be read today; therefore, I will include a few lines from it in my blog.

                    So I say to you, my friends, that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.  It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

                    I have a dream that one day …, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood….

                    I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character….

                    With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

                    With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, …, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

                    This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:  `My country 'tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride; from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'

                    And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

                    So let freedom ring….

                    I have a firm belief in the words of the Declaration of Independence that say, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  No one - no person of any color, creed, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, etc - no one should be discriminated against.  Every person is a son or a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father and should be treated with respect and justice.   

Dr. King believed in "social justice" - redistribution of wealth.  I do not.  Every person should "carry their own weight" to the fullest extent possible.  I believe that we should be able to obtain that for which we are willing and able to work for.  I believe that no one deserves to reap the benefits of the labor of someone else.  We should all be judged by the quality of our character and not by the color of our skin - or any other difference. 

Freedom for All Americans

This week we celebrated the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., black civil rights leader. I must admit that I have very mixed feelings about this holiday. I recognize that civil rights for all Americans are very important, and I believe that Dr. King's participation in that achievement should be honored. I just don't quite understand why we have a national holiday named for him, especially because we have no other person honored with a national holiday. Consider that we have forty-three former Presidents of the United States, many of whom have performed great deeds. George Washington led our military troops to victory in the Revolutionary War bringing freedom to all Americans; he directed the convention where the United States Constitution was written, and he served our new nation as our first President. He was a great man whose love for his country kept him from accepting the proffered gift of being the king of it. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, approved the new Constitution even though he was serving our nation in France at the time it was written, and served as our nation's third President. James Madison wrote the United States Constitution and also served as the fourth President of our nation. Abraham Lincoln kept the country together during the Civil War and gave the Emancipation Proclamation while serving as our sixteenth President. Not one of these men and many others who accomplished great things for our nation is honored with a national holiday named specifically for him. There was a time when both Washington and Lincoln had national holidays named for them. In order to have one national holiday named for Martin Luther King, Congress took the two holidays named for Washington and Lincoln, lumped them together in one holiday and called it Presidents Day. Even though it has been twenty-five years since this happened, I have never heard a reasonable answer for the action. I personally believe the reason for this action was more to appease the African Americans among us than to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. I believe that this holiday was designated as part of a plan spear-headed by Lyndon B. Johnson and his cohorts to bring the black people into the Democratic camp. They achieved their purpose because African Americans have supported the Democrats for nearly fifty years since the civil rights acts were passed by Congress in the 1960s. African Americans do not seem to understand that the Democrats are simply using them to win elections. The latest revelations about statements by Senator Harry Reid and former President Bill Clinton prove that Democrats are racists, something that many conservatives have believed for years. I believe that Democrats pretend to be friends to poor people, African Americans and other minorities while actually trying to keep them "down on the plantation." I believe that the main purpose for the New Deal of FDR and the Great Society of LBJ was to get votes. In trying to keep blacks and others in the slavery mentality, Democrats enact legislation that keeps all of us under control. A great example of their need to control Americans is the "health care reform" that the Democrats have tried to force through Congress even though Americans are telling them in no uncertain terms that we don't want their reform. It is just a continuing progressive plan to enslave all Americans. One way that Americans of all colors, all religions, all cultures, etc. can gain more freedom is to vote all progressives out of office as soon as possible!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

My VIP for this week is Martin Luther King, Jr., the black civil rights leader. As I write this post, Americans are enjoying a national holiday - a day off work or out of school - in his honor. Many cities, including Anchorage, are calling for today to be a day for service.

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929, as the second of three children born to his parents. He was the eldest son and was named after his father who was pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. One of his grandfathers had also served as pastor at that church.

King did very well in high school, skipping the 9th and 12th grades and entering Morehouse College in Atlanta at age 15. While at Morehouse, King decided to become a minister and was ordained just before he graduated in 1948. He earned a divinity degree at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, and then went to graduate school at Boston University. He graduated with a Ph.D. degree in theology.

While in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a music student. They married in 1953 and eventually had four children. King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954.

King began his civil rights activities in 1955 in connection with a protest of Montgomery's segregated bus system. Montgomery had a city law that required blacks to give up their seats on buses when white people wanted those seats or to sit in that row. One day in 1955 a black passenger named Rosa Parks decided to disobey that law. She was arrested for her disobedience.

Blacks were urged by black leaders in Montgomery to boycott the city's buses. An organization was formed to run the boycott, and King was chosen to be president of that organization. King insisted on nonviolent protests, but his own home was bombed. For over a year, thousands of blacks refused to use the buses. By orders from the United States Supreme Court in 1956, Montgomery was forced to provide equal, integrated seating on public buses.

King joined with other black ministers to expand the nonviolent struggle against racism and discrimination. At that time, segregation existed throughout the South in public schools, transportation, recreation, hotels, and restaurants. Some states deprived blacks of the right to vote.

In 1960 King moved to Atlanta and became co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father. In 1961, the civil rights movement picked up steam when black college students across the South began to push back. They sat at lunch counters and entered other facilities that refused to serve blacks. Massive demonstrations were launched in Birmingham, Alabama, to protest racial discriminations. Dogs and water hoses were used by police to drive back peaceful protesters, including children.  A national outcry against segregation was the result of heavy news coverage. John F. Kennedy proposed a civil rights bill to Congress.

On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people attended an event called the March on Washington. They gathered at the Lincoln Memorial where the high point was a speech by King. This stirring "I have a dream" speech defined the moral basis of the civil rights movement.

"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited racial discrimination in public places and called for equal opportunity in employment and education. King later received the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize" (David J. Garrow, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 11, p 321).

In spite of the new legislation, white officials in Selma, Alabama, denied most black citizens the chance to register and vote. In a protest organized by King in 1965, several hundred protesters were attacked by police officers using tear gas and clubs to break up the group as they attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital. This attack was broadcast nationwide and shocked the general public.

Lyndon B. Johnson requested a bill in Congress that would eliminate all barriers to Southern blacks' right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was soon passed by Congress, but violence continued against civil rights workers in the South.

In 1967 King enlarged his movement to include poverty. "He believed poverty was as great an evil as racism. He said that true social justice would require a redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. Thus, King began to plan a Poor People's Campaign that would unite poor people of all races in a struggle for economic opportunity. The campaign would demand a federal guaranteed annual income for poor people and other major antipoverty laws" (David J. Garrow, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 11, p 323).

King also joined the growing anti-war movement against the Vietnam War. While supporting a strike of black garbage men in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed by James Earl Ray. King's body was first buried at South View Cemetery in Atlanta and later moved near Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The following words from King's "I Have A Dream" speech are on his tombstone: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."

Shock, grief, and anger followed King's assassination. More than 100 cities in our nation experienced riots by black people. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibited racial discrimination in the sale and rental of most housing in the United States. An area including King's birthplace, church and burial spot was made the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in 1980. Congress passed a law in 1983 designating the third Monday in January as a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.