Today we honor and reflect on the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a young, charismatic leader during the Civil Rights Movement.
The brilliance of his speeches, sermons, letters, and civil engagement was rooted in the prophetic witness of the Black church -- started as a respite from the inhumane conditions of American Chattel Slavery. It was an institution that subscribed to a Christian theology of liberation versus the so-called Christian theology of oppression of the slave owners.
While he is mostly remembered for his pursuit of racial equity in America, it’s important to acknowledge that King clearly articulated other major issues of injustice and domination in this nation.
This prolific speaker and writer spoke out against poverty, violence, war, segregated schools, unfair labor practices, voter suppression, militarized police, and America’s complicit silence, just to name a few.
It’s imperative we embrace the totality of the dream, or we run the risk of watering down the dream. There are some difficult conversations and actions to be taken. Many of us will have to get comfortable being uncomfortable if we truly want to fulfill the life, mission, and ministry of Dr. King.
It’s not enough just to “remember” Dr. King; that would contribute to watering down his dream. We have to engage actively in the work of resistance set by his example. Resisting any and every system, institution, law, policy, and ideology that’s not equitable for all.
The dream is not dead; it’s alive ready to go forth through us.
I’m Joe Mitchell, and this is my perspective.
