Not many days ago, I was privileged to meet and to have a brief conversation with a woman who was a personal friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both her and her husband were friends of both Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, going all the way back to their days at Morehouse and Spellman College respectively. My conversation with her and her daughter got me to thinking. I thought in terms of what has become of Dr. King’s work and dreams. Thus, the idea for this article was born. In light of all the activities that have transpired due to Dr. King’s birthday, I want to consider three relevant things here that I hope will stimulate both thought and conversation. I am very aware that anytime the name and subject of Martin Luther King, Jr. comes up, it instantly will attract the attention of many due to his revered position in our hearts and history. There are things I want to briefly consider here that I believe are worth mentioning.
First, I want to talk about the man. In spite of all the human flaws that Dr. King had, he ranks as one of the most remarkable and renowned people in American history. Not only does he score high as one of the greatest African Americans, but one of the greatest Americans. Many historians and students of the American experience and narrative, places Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the top fifty of the greatest Americans of all time. In this very esteem and elite group, you will find the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Jonas E. Salk, Albert Einstein, and Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), just to name a few. He is regarded as America’s greatest proponent and activist of civil rights and social change. Across the globe and the world, his name is equally revered and respected, along with Mahatma Gandhi, as one of the most effective voices in the annals of history who were able to bring about political and social change through non-violent strategies and tactics. Dr. King was certainly not the first to advocate political and social change in America. He was not the first to cry out against bigotry, discrimination, and segregation in the Jim Crow South. There were others who came before him and paved the way, like Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Medgar Evers. Dr. King entered into the labors of these and others who came before him. He took the baton and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as well as the entire Civil Rights Movement to achievements and victories that had never been realized in America before. As the face and voice of Civil Rights during this turbulent era, he and his comrades were able to be the catalyst that would ultimately bring about a legal abolishing of Jim Crow in the South. Dr. King was assassinated forty-eight years ago for his convictions and commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. Now that he is dead, we must ask ourselves the question: “What has become of his dream? What has become of the movement that he led and for which he died?” Millions participated in memorial celebrations on Monday (January 18, 2016) as they have been doing every since his birthday was made an official American holiday. Across the nation, there were gatherings, marches, and ceremonies that acknowledged and cited his life and great achievements. All of this is very commendable and noteworthy. However, we must ask ourselves have we become so enamored and preoccupied with the ceremonial hoopla and the yearly reminiscing of his achievements and exploits to our own hurt. Have we lost or left the essence and real reason for Dr. King’s struggle and sacrifices as a martyr? Have we abandoned the army and movement that he led through our apathy and delusional belief that there are no more giants to conquer or battles to win in regards to civil rights in America?
The work of Dr. King and so many others who suffered and in many cases died to get us to where we are is not over. Although we have advanced in many areas as African Americans in this nation, we have not arrived; we are not there yet. I hope that you have taken notice that I kept saying “we”. This is because I am as guilty as you are for not truly keeping the dream alive.
Before I conclude this article, “Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Man, the Movement, and the Monument,” I deem it necessary to clarify what I mean by the monument to which I am referring. It is a state of honor and homage that we posthumously give Dr. King each year. It is the tribute to his legacy and memory that we celebrate and commemorate every third Monday in January. Regrettably, for the most part, we have not advanced beyond the memorial services to finish his work. Admittedly, there have been some token efforts on many of our behalves to be advocates for equality and civil rights. However, as true as it might be, we have nevertheless failed to put ourselves in the heat of the battle that is still waging. If we are not careful, we stand in jeopardy of losing many of the gains that we received due to Dr. King and his fellow civil rights comrades. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the man, but let us make sure that we have not abandoned why we revere and celebrate him. We must leave the monument and do our part in the movement until we have fully triumphed. “We Shall Overcome!”
