Last Wednesday was April 4, the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King, without doubt, one of our most beloved and respected historical figures. However, there’s much about his ideas, message, and activities that has been edited from our collective memory.
Dr. King did not practice simple non-violence. He referred to his strategy as radical non-violence. Moreover, during his time he was grossly despised by most of white America, and not just for protesting about racism in the South but for challenging the soul of the nation and the morality of white America.
As Rachel Swan of the New York Times reminds us, “He was battling racism in the North then (at the time of his death), not just in the South. He was pushing the government to address poverty, income inequality, structural racism and segregation in cities like Boston and Chicago.”
He also challenged the Vietnam War. The “I Have a Dream” speech was not just about peace but the lack of movement by the government to live up to its promises. And we must remember, he died the day after giving a speech in support of striking garbage workers.
Fifty years later, our nation continues to struggle with uncomfortable realities about inequality. It remains a challenge to have a sensible conversation about inequity issues.
So, in many ways, the nation has made considerable progress, and Dr. King’s legacy has been fuel. However, as we still struggle with the school-to-prison pipeline, inequalities in law enforcement and criminal justice, housing segregation and more, the appreciated dream is deferred nonetheless.
I am Joe Flynn, and that is my perspective.
