Honoring King
19th January 2016 · 0 Comments
By Edmund W. Lewis
Editor
Today we celebrate the life, work and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a drum major for justice, a visionary and wordsmith who used his divine gifts for the betterment of mankind.
While some of us may not agree with everything Dr. King believed or said, there is no doubting his commitment to making the world a better place than he found it. He was fearless and unrelenting in the face of domestic terrorism and unbridled hatred, resilient and uncompromising
Although many most closely associate King with his memorable “I Have A Dream” speech, it is important to note that Martin Luther King Jr. was not a dreamer. While he dreamed with his heart and his eyes wide open, he was a seer, thinker and doer who laid his life on the line for the empowerment, upliftment, love and liberation of his people. His calling was much bigger than shepherding a flock of believers in a Montgomery, Alabama house of worship or standing at the helm of a major civil rights organization. He challenged all of humanity to be their best selves and bend only to the will of the Most High.
To that end, he held up a mirror to those in the Deep South, across the nation and around the world who dared to enslave, bully, disenfranchise, marginalize, exploit or oppress those who were at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder because they had the power to do so.
Those who wish to lead today and be taken seriously by the masses of our people should take note of King’s preparation for the role he played in the Historic Civil Rights Movement.
King, who was born Michael King, grew up in a home where educational excellence and personal accountability were expected and demanded. He was an avid reader who graduated from high school at the age of 15 and enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta. While others were playing high school football, attending Sweet 16 parties and doing basic teenage “stuff,” King was already hard at work fulfilling his divine mission. He obviously benefited from the mentorship of Morehouse College President Dr. Benjamin E. Mays and did not shy away from reading books that might have intimidated people twice his age.
He followed up his matriculation at Morehouse with exemplary postgraduate work on a master’s degree and doctorate.
He did not wake up one day and say he wanted to be a leader – he used his formative years wisely to prepare for the demands of leadership. While history books and films indicate that he was reluctant to lead the historic Montgomery Buss Boycott of 1955, he did not cower from his divine calling once he heard and understood the call.
It was never his mission to have 5,000 friends or followers, or to have more people like him than dislike him. He was about the business of effecting positive change.
That change started out with integrating the public transportation system in Montgomery, Ala. and later turned to securing voting and civil rights for underrepresented people in the Deep South and beyond. Later, he turned his attention to economic justice and ending injustice and inequity in the global community.
The greatest tragedy is that he was not allowed to live long enough to be all the Creator intend him to be.
Like another great warrior, Malcolm X, King was assassinated at the age of 39.
The great writer James Baldwin told me in 1985 that King and Malcolm X often asked him what the other leader thought about him, although the two leaders’ paths only crossed once and was immortalized with a photo of them shaking hands.
One might argue that the two had much in common. While Malcolm dropped out of school after the eighth grade and King earned a Ph.D, both men were brilliant, voracious readers who relentlessly sought knowledge. Malcolm, of course, continued his education in what is often referred to as the Black Man’s University, the U.S. penal system. Both men were humble, courageous and spiritually grounded, King in the Black Church and Malcolm in the Nation of Islam.
There was certainly some common ground upon which the two could have built a working relationship that would have inspired, mobilized and benefited all segments of Black America.
But it never materialized, in part because of people like FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who routinely pitted Black leaders and groups against one another in an effort to undermine the Freedom Movement.
What we can take from the two men are the lessons they learned about the nature of the white power structure and the need for unity of thought, purpose and action.
It is not enough to know these two leaders’ birthdates and major accomplishments. We need to get to know them intimately by studying their biographies, speeches and personal letters as much as possible. And sharing what we learn of them with others.
Contrary to popular belief, everything about Martin Luther King Jr. has not been written in a book or captured in a movie. We have to dig much deeper and tap into King’s psyche and spirit. The MLK Jr. National Holiday is as good a time as any to renew our efforts to get to know Martin the man.
We owe him and ourselves that.
How do we honor the life, contributions and legacy of the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.?
By learning everything we can about the man and his struggles and triumphs.
By being our true, authentic selves and honoring all of the Beloved Ancestors and Warriors who came before us and laid it all on the line so that we might one day live out their dreams.
By tapping into his spirit and those of all of our Beloved Ancestors. By carrying on the work of King, Brother Malcolm, Ida B. Wells, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey and all of those who stepped out to lead us out of the darkness that continues to threaten our very existence. By understanding that “I am because we are” and acting on that knowledge.
By striving to discover and fulfill our divine purposes and becoming the dynamic, courageous beings the Creator brought us into this life to be.
We thank you and salute you Martin for all that you have given us and ask that you continue to intercede on our behalf as we fight the good fight and finish this race.
This article originally published in the January 18, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
