Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — And The Rest of The Year
Each year on the third Monday of January, the country pauses to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the impact that he had on the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s.
There’s no question that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a key and very influential figure during the Civil Rights Movement. The racial segregation in schools, places of employment, public facilities, and other parts of life was unfair, and something had to be done about it. Thankfully, somebody like MLK stepped forward and led the country to the ending of segregation through non-violent demonstrations and peaceful protests.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was also a bright and intelligent person, and he had earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948, a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951, and finally a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1955. MLK worked as both a pastor and Christian minister until taking a trip to India and then becoming involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 when visiting Memphis, Tennessee.
Here in Atlanta, Georgia, MLK’s home town, we also have The King Center, a memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy and ideas promoted by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The King Center is a natural gathering point here in Atlanta on MLK Day. It’s also where you’ll find politicians bending over backwards trying to show how sympathetic they are to black problems and issues. This happens to be an election year, and we all know how politicians love to make a thousand promises when it comes to “buying” votes.
On this day each year the news media also bends over backwards in their coverage of MLK Day speeches, rallies, and other events. Sometimes it feels like overload when you factor in all of the attention that this national holiday receives.
Yes, the Civil Rights Movement was a critical part of our country’s history. Because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, our country has become better for all citizens. Both of those acts are responsible from the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his leadership.
All of this is heavily celebrated on the third Monday in January. What has been earned should certainly be honored and respected, just like our nation’s independence being celebrated on July 4th. No problem there.
But what happens throughout the rest of the year? Are MLK’s lessons reflected upon and followed on the *other* days of the year? It certainly does not seem like it when you take a look at certain parts of society including:
- crime & violence
- poverty
- unwed mothers
- poor education
- gangs
- the hip hop / thug culture infesting society, including college and professional sports
What would Martin Luther King, Jr. think of today’s society and these issues plaguing minorities?
The media declared that racism in our country was finally eliminated in November of 2008 when Barack Hussein Obama II was elected as the President of the United States of America, yet racism, especially black-on-white hate crimes and racism, is still alive and well. Would Martin Luther King, Jr. have approved of the racism and violence when it goes strongly against what he preached?
Probably not.
MLK was an educated man who was a strong and supportive father, and he was a leader both in church and the community. He was an honorable man who stood strongly for good causes. What would he think of today’s society and the way that it seems like the black society as a whole continues heading in the wrong direction?
Martin Luther King, Jr. fought so hard for equality and the end to segregation, and he succeeded. And how is he repaid some fifty years later? Poorly. I bet that MLK would be ashamed at the self-inflicted problems plaguing the black communities and infecting the rest of society, and how it seems that nobody seems to care, and nobody is willing to step forward and actually hold the true culprits accountable.
This reminds me of a quote by another celebrated black leader, Booker T. Washington:
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.
I am afraid that there is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don’t want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public.”
If black leaders and the media make a huge deal out of MLK Day, why don’t they hold the black communities to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s standards for the other days of the year? Why aren’t they held accountable for the problems that they create and worsen?
Or would that take away certain agendas in politics?