TO CELEBRATE A KING

Writing this on the eve Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I am compelled to say, that I am blessed, a benefactor, and aware that the life I live now, came with a sacrifice of many that I am forever indebted. Thank you Dr. King and thank all for what you gave the world and what you gave me. 

Today is the 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States of America. This is a federal holiday that was signed into law in 1983 by the late President Ronald Reagan. Interestingly, when I think about the year this happened, I was five years old. While I was not in tune to the significance of this day until I was a teenager, I learned the significance as I aged, but I didn’t resist this holiday as the U.S. did. While the credit goes to Reagan for this great act of making King a celebrated icon, it wasn’t Reagan alone that made this happen.

Figure 1. President Ronald Regan signs the bill commemorating King’s Birthday as a national holiday Nov. 2, 1983 in the White House Rose Garden.

King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. It took 15 years for this day to become a federal holiday. Congressperson John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan introduced the first legislation seeking to make January 15th a holiday months after King’s death (Romero, 2010). Soon after that states like Illinois, Massachusetts and Connecticut passed their legislation for the occasion (Romero, 2010). However, under Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who’s home state is Georgia, the bill still didn’t pass. Being from Alabama, in my home state, on the same day, they celebrated King a civil rights icon as well as Robert E. Lee a civil war general for the confederacy. Two individuals that stood for two different things are celebrated in the same state, which to me reflects the conflicting identity of the U.S. Here we are 51 years later after the assassination of Dr. King celebrating his life and legacy. What are you doing today?

KING CELEBRATIONS

For many this is a day off to rest and think about the next day of work. There are those that see this day as a holiday to get involved with some kind of community service. Many will watch, listen, or re-enact the infamous and globally influential I Have a Dream Speech that King delivered on August 28, 1963 (King, 1993). There will be that part of the population that goes to festivals and celebrations administered in the name and memory of MLK. There will be many entertainers talking about King, marches with speakers reflecting on King, and on this day influential leaders around the globe will be recognized as MLK speakers. I acknowledge that I have been a speaker to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am not trying to elevate the pomp and circumstance around MLK Day. I want to acknowledge that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not only a brilliant leader, but he was also a man with his own struggles. I am fortunate to be part of a family that was and still is involved in the pursuit of civil rights for many. I know that my family history is a huge part of my positionality with regard to MLK Day because King was celebrated and uplifted in my family before, he was celebrated federally.

PERSONAL HISTORY

As a young boy, January 15th was always an important day because my family would travel from Birmingham, AL to Atlanta, GA to participate in the much-anticipated King March that my uncle the late Rev. Dr. James Orange was one of the primary organizers. 

Figure 2. Photo by Curtis Jackson.

Uncle Sonny (as I knew him) was one of the first field lieutenants appointed by Dr. King to be in the Civil Rights movement from Birmingham, AL. Every year, I would look forward to going to Atlanta, GA to look at my giant of an uncle lead the march and talk to thousands about the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I could tell that my uncle loved Dr. King and still believed in his vision because he wore a King medallion daily and he affectionately called those he came in contact with “leader.” I would be surrounded by celebrities and other historic figures that were recognized for being down with the King.

Figure 3. Photo by Pat Bryant.

Writing this in a teary-eyed state reminds me how much I still miss my uncle as he became an ancestor on February 16, 2008 as well as his baby daughter Pamela the year before. His spouse, three daughters, son (spouse), and three grandchildren lovingly carry on his memory and message. I fortunately have a mother that also demonstrated for me what it means to be a servant leader. She was a school teacher for over 25 years and has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years. She has served on the school board in my hometown and my mom still serves our community resisting injustice bravely. She also never misses an opportunity to humbly talk about her brother. With their blood in my veins I hope that they are honored by my work. 

Figure 4. Photo by Thomas RaShad Easley

KING DAY

Is today the day you acknowledge King or another slain civil rights leader for justice? I wonder what those that still promote hate and segregation are doing on King Day. My hope is that today is not filled with celebrations of poets, artists and activists that gather to observe King’s Holiday, but they don’t learn anything further about Dr. King. That concern alone is what drives me because exactly what I described is what is taking place country-wide.

I know that many television stations and radio stations will be replaying King’s speeches. Google more than likely will have an icon on their homepage reflecting Dr. King. Many other social media platforms will shine an icon or quote from Dr. King today. YouTube will get thousands if not millions of clicks on the I Have a Dream speech today. Honestly, I hope those that read this will not be satisfied by those symbolic representations of distant recognition to King. I further hope that you are “not just” out today enjoying a safe demonstration of a march that King would have been a participant. Further, I hope that today is not the only day you participate in service that benefits other people. Lastly, I hope today is not your only day to learn about civil rights, just like I hope February is not the only month you acknowledge Black History as American History.

I believe that we have become blind to what King stood for and more comfortable with the representation of his heroism. The way we celebrate King to me glorifies his struggle and normalizes racism, because we look at him through the lens of a leader. Over the last few years, the one indiscretion that rises are King’s infidelities with other women but they do not overshadow his legacy. In my opinion, when people address a famous leader’s legacy, when their humanity is being explored, it is easy to spotlight their indiscretions or just their victories. I think this happens because we celebrate a person instead of a community. The same way I feel that we elevate individuals above communities and I think we elevate movements instead of action.

For example, during King’s I Have a Dream Speech, it was the gospel singing icon Mahalia Jackson that shouted “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” which led him to talk about the dream that we so lovingly quote every year (Hansen, 2013). Bayard Rustin was the chief organizer of this march and they hid his identity and some still overlook his contribution because he was gay (Gates,2013). There were threats within the movement to out Rustin and sabotage the march on August 28, 1963 so also remember that was dissension within the movement (Gates, 2013). Many don’t recall, but twenty years earlier, A. Phillip Randolph and Rustin almost executed a march that would pressure President Franklin Roosevelt into opening defense-industry hiring for blacks and just with a threat of the march a deal was reached (Gates 2013). This history tells me the impact a community can have and the need to know history because it wasn’t King alone that led to change. It wasn’t one speech or one march that led to change, but it took decades for change to come and even after King’s death, we’re still fighting for that change.

If every year we are accustomed to celebrating King with the same methods, then it’s just by habit that his legacy is important. Please understand, I still believe King had a great dream, but I need to be anchored in reality and history to understand the world King lived in. Furthermore, being anchored in reality and history will help me understand and navigate the world I live in now. As a black man, I appreciate King’s struggle and I can’t say Happy MLK day because what King fought for was not happy. Embracing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the “right thing for me” but if you were living under the political conditions he was dwelling in, how would you govern yourself then or now? Would you be non-violent? Would you take the attacks and death threats aimed at your family daily and still fight for justice? I would like to think that my responses would be affirmative, but I am not sure. I am sure of this, I would like to talk about the man Dr. King, instead of the leader and his struggle, that the country so conveniently espouses to embrace when there is evidence that King’s passion in the U.S. is embraced by many and deterred by many.

THE LEADER IS A MAN

I hear a lot about Dr. King as a leader and see the pictures of him in marches and non-violently protesting. However, there are other chapters to this servant leader that I want to highlight. I do not want to highlight them to minimize King’s impact, but I want to elevate his humanity because he was not living in easy times at all.

I think about Dr. King and what he was up against. At times I wonder how would I be if I had to deal with some of the challenges he endured. For example, what would I do if I lived in a country that had laws that support hate and racism, I was a part of clergy that didn’t support my activity in the movement, I was targeted by federal agencies and their leaders like J. Edgar Hoover that called me “The most notorious liar in the country,” and my own community didn’t completely support the movement, what kind of existence would I have? I do not know the answer to the question, but I do know that when you push against societal norms, society will push back against you. Years later when that leader is celebrated as a saint, people will forget that leader was called many other things during the struggle that is the antithesis of sainthood.

For the remainder of this article I want to address actions or habits of King that signify his struggle, instead of celebrating his sacrifice. Dr. King smoked cigarettes regularly. I am not indicting King for this habit of smoking, but I look at such a powerful man that had a need to smoke cigarettes. Why do people smoke cigarettes? I normally see people smoking cigarettes to take the edge off a tough circumstance that they are experiencing. Smoking helps them take a breath in the midst of feeling breathless during an engagement. When you picture wonderful leaders speaking eloquently about justice, do you envision them having such a dangerous habit to get them through the day? I think that smoking was a way of coping and if you are smoking every day, I wonder what you feel minute to minute. Smoking cigarettes is just one example of substance dependency because others use drugs, alcohol, and sex to help them cope. I am not validating unhealthy habits, but I am highlighting that every person has a struggle and a passion. How would you cope with the struggles King endured?

Another interesting fact is that King applied for a gun permit in 1956 after his home was bombed (Engler and Engler, 2014). Does having a gun or desiring to own a gun fit your image of a non-violent leader? For me it does because self-defense is not the same as bullying and being a racist. I appreciate knowing that this man wanted to protect himself and his family when his family was being terrorized. What kind of existence can a person be living that they desire to have or apply for a gun? I can only imagine living a life where “my life” is not valued or respected the same as white people and yet you still push through day to day hoping for change.

I am forever grateful for the sacrifice that King and other leaders made that led to my freedom that I enjoy today. It is documented that King’s heart was like a 60-year-old when he died at 39 years old (Picone, 15). Some would attribute this to stress, but does this sound like a fun dream filled life? I am not trying to say that King didn’t enjoy his family and that he didn’t have friends. I think King knew how to have a good time, but there is a distortion on humanity that is done to people in the spotlight. King was part of a community and a movement that fought to be recognized as human. King suffered a stab wound in his chest while fighting for injustice. It saddens me that we celebrate King for his victory though he lost his life before he could see the fruits of his labor.

CONCLUSION

Today is a day that I appreciate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for what he said, did and gave to the world. On this day, I hold my country to a higher standard than one person’s legacy because King worked with labor unions, fought for racial equality, pushed for income equality, and believed in access to public education (Workneh, 2016). All of these issues are still relevant and current today in 2019. I don’t want to just celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s memory, but I encourage us all to take up the heavy mantle that would make a 39 years old heart 60 years old. I appreciate individuals that fight for others, but I hope that communities will come together and stay together to change a nation for the benefit of the unfairly disadvantaged. I hope that we as a nation will acknowledge the many coping mechanisms people develop to make it through the day. In addition, I also hope that people needing support to break the habit, will get that support because our country needs a revival to stop racism, poverty, sexism, and lack of access to resources. While we elevate King in his death, I hope that people will try to identify with him in life and understand that some of what he was fighting for, he also needed, which meant he died not having it. When you see me please do not say “Happy MLK Day” because what King fought for was nothing to be celebrated. Please throughout this day and the rest of the year, say “thank you Dr. King, rest well because its my turn to work.”

RESOURCES

Bryant, P. (2008). That’s James Orange on the right, talking with a marshal during a march for poultry workers in Laurel, Mississippi. Retrieved from https://www.facingsouth.org/2008/03/remembering-rev-james-shackdaddy-orange.html.

Easley, T. (2016). Dr. Easley and Mrs. Easley lecturing on Rev. Dr. James Orange at Miles College for the American Association of Blacks In Higher Education.

Engler, M. &. (2014, January 15). Waging Nonviolence People-Powered News & Analysis. Retrieved from Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/martin-luther-king-gave-guns/.

Gates, H. (2013). Who Designed the March on Washington. Retrieved from PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/who-designed-the-march-on-washington/.

Hansen, D. (2013, August 27). The New York Times. Retrieved from Mahalia Jackson, and King's Improvisation: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/opinion/mahalia-jackson-and-kings-rhetorical-improvisation.html?login=email&auth=login-email.

Jackson, C. (2008). Rev. James Edward Orange. Retrieved from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24727737/james-edward-orange.

King, M. (1993). I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World, Special 75th Anniversary Edition. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Picone, K. (2018, June 14). 10 Things You Didn't Know ABout Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved from All That Is Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/martin-luther-king-jr-facts.

Romero, F. (2010, January 18). Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Retrieved from Time: https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872501,00.html.

The Controversial History of Martin Luther King Day. (2017, January 13). Retrieved from National Geographic: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/martin-luther-king-jr-day-robert-e-lee-birthday-holiday/.

White House Photo Office. Reagan signs Martin Luther King Bill. (1983). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reagan_signs_Martin_Luther_King_bill.jpg.

Workneh, L. (2016, January 18). 3 Social Justice Issues MLK Fought For Outside of Racial Equality. Retrieved from Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/3-big-social-issues-mlk-fought-for-outside-of-racial-equality_us_569cbed0e4b0b4eb759efeb1.