Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

April 4, 1968: His death came at the hands of gun violence; yet, King’s life was one of peace and love. He was not revered and universally respected at the time of his death: We tend to magnify our heroes in martyrdom. There was no holiday named in his honor or buildings dedicated in his name by late afternoon on April 4, 1968, when he took his last breath in Memphis, TN. The truth he spoke about what he termed the “three triplets of evil” (war, poverty, and militarism) brought out enemies and critics from all corners of the nation and every huh, in the final two years of his life. The coalition of conscience he built was fragmented: whites and people of color alike distanced themselves from the greatest moral leader in the history of our republic.

To be clear: King did not simply offer his opinions on matters of injustice, violence, and racism. Instead, he embodied a prophetic witness, and thus a testimony that was nothing short of being from the Divine. No person on the planet advanced this nation forward on the aforementioned issues to the extent King did. Knowing this in retrospect grieves me as a King scholar. I can’t imagine what it was like for him at the time of his death. The burdened King bore to speak truth was and remains, unmatched.

My heart is heavy today. I’m profoundly saddened by his untimely and violent death, and even more so of the current state of our nation on a hosts of matters. Yet, I remain committed to his unfinished work: To Redeem The Soul Of America. And, to advance the message of #FaithHope&Love he beautifully modeled to all those whose paths I cross. By His Grace. #MLK50 ~

Marcus Goodie Goodloe, Ph.D.