Tell your children and your children’s children about a man, a movement and the legacy they enjoy as a result. Help them imagine a time when black people and white people operated under a different set of rules and were not allowed to live, work, or play together. If they are confused, angry or saddened, tell them anyway. Tell them about the time you remember before the Reverend, Dr Martin Luther King jr.
“Truth crushed to earth will rise again“, he said. And some tried to crush the message by striking fear into the hearts of the messengers, taking away their jobs, making it more difficult for them to vote, threatening, beating and imprisoning them, burning crosses in their yards and murdering them. But the truth kept popping out all over the country; on buses, and in drug stores, on bridges and at water fountains, at voter registration centers, in schools, and on the determined faces of proud, peaceful protesters.
“You reap what you sow“, he said. And some scattered seeds of hope among us. Hope for a better country, “a promised land where all men would be judged, not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. The method they would use would be one of non-violence. They would commit to forgiveness over revenge and would be tested in this over and over.
“No lie can live forever“, he said. And the lie that there is one type of people inherently superior to another and deserving of preference in all things is a lie that has been circulating and believed for centuries in every tribe and nation. Can that lie ever be extinguished?
“The Arc of the moral Universe is long but it is bent toward justice“, he said. And Martin Luther King, Jr. pointed us beyond the United States, beyond our world and out into the universe for an explanation of ultimate truth that inherently we all believe; that right will triumph over wrong and that love is stronger than hate.
Who we are as Americans is shaped by the hearts of our people. Martin Luther King Jr. and his band of brothers and sisters represent the very best of who we are and who we have the possibility of becoming. They took a mirror of reality and had the courage to hold it up in front of our faces and caused an entire nation to take a long look at its’ reflection; an image so loathsome, that collectively and individually, a decision had to be made. Do we try to fix the ugly blemishes, repair some of the damage, allow for major reconstructive surgery, or smash the mirror?
Somehow black Americans were able to hold on, like a woman in childbirth, believing in the promise to come. Was he offering hope to the many exhausted and bloody from labor or a declaration of premonition about his short time with us?
“How long? Not long,
How long?………Not long,
How long?………………..Not long,”
he said.
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Great quotes, great post and a great man, but I fear that perhaps the movement he started has veered from the course he put it on. Hopefully one day another great man will come along and pick up the reins. Thanks for the post Gwen, powerful and moving.
I too, long for an inspirational leader for today. Perhaps our children or our children’s children will be or know such a person. Thanks for your kind words, Peter.
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Yes, wonderful, forgiving charcoal
What a moving, thought-provoking tribute to one of the greatest Americans in our history. Did you draw that portrait? It’s wonderful!
Thank you Peg for your kind words. I admire your writing so much. Yes, I did draw the portrait. I am was a little concerned that I didn’t “capture” him.
No, you really captured the gentle look in his eyes. I’m totally in awe. Did you use charcoal? (Thank you very kindly for the compliment, ma’am.)
My grandson (7) says he used his words instead of his fists – thanks for your favorite of MLK’s “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”
Thank you for liking my post about change. Powerful words from a powerful man.
Excellent read and well written. Thank you for sharing your perspective on such a great man.
He changed our lives
Wonderful!
thanks Debby, loved your thoughts as well
Thanks, Totsymae. Still a work in progress
“They took a mirror of reality and had the courage to hold it up in front of our faces and caused an entire nation to take a long look at its’ reflection; an image so loathsome, that collectively and individually, a decision had to be made.”
Very well stated.
Mr. King was one of my heroes. Of course he was a flawed human being. But the odd thing is that as you get older you realize that the real heroes are those who can act, think, sing, write, love despite their own weaknesses.
Who isn’t weak? And how about inspire? I am in awe at his ability to put words together that have become iconic. thanks for commenting on my blog. Am looking forward to visiting yours.
Thank you. A great man.
Appreciate your response. He was one of the greatest of my lifetime
Love that quote, Virginia…….PEACE
What an excellent challenge to us today, Miss Gwen! I’m also a MLKjr. groupie – one of my favorite quotes (besides his whole ‘i have a dream’ speech!) is: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” It’s hard to have the one without the other…
Thank you Jordan
Every year around this time you manage to hit one out of the park with your creative expression regarding the life of MLK. Looks like 2012 will be no different.
Tis True, he inspires some grand writings
Sad but true, Susan.
Great quotations. My favorite is, “The Arc of the moral universe is long, but it is bent toward justice.” I’ve seen so much change in my lifetime, but we have lots of work left to do!