Last year on this date I was driving north on the highway between Albuquerque New Mexico and the Ghost Ranch retreat centre in the hills closer to the Colorado border. I was clipping along at 75 to 80 miles an hour but everyone was passing me on the straight, flat stretch leading to Sante Fe.
I listened to a program on Martin Luther King Jr. because it was the public holiday in his honour in the States. It was obvious that at least on National Public Radio Dr. King was regarded with great respect. I have read a biography of King that I revisit from time to time and I see him as one of the great Christian figures of the 20th century despite his personal failings. We don't make saints in the Protestant tradition but he is a remarkable example of adherence to Christian principles despite the personal cost.
One thoughtful commentator wonders why we focus on certain catch phrases from Dr. King's speeches, ignoring others. He points to words near the beginning of the "I Have a Dream" address, delivered more than 45 years ago:
"America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' But we refuse to believe the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation."
It could be argued that the current president, Barack Obama, is the fruition of this steadfast hope, although there is still a long way to go.
What are your thoughts about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr? Is his oratory still powerful half a century later? Should he matter all that much to Canadians?
4 comments:
MLK should matter, and still matters to all people, regardless of nationality or ethinicity.
Like John F. Kennedy and RFK (both lost in the turbulence of the 60's)he was a symbol of hope, progress and unity. All three had personal failings, to be sure. What they stood for and worked toward, however, is what will matter to the ages.
The causes of social justice, international aid, eradicating poverty, universal education and racial equality were championed by these three figures, who to me, are intertwined.
I think of all three during this time of year, and hope that the things they stood for will advance with the coming spring.
(PS - This year will mark the 50th anniversary of JFK's successful run for President of the United States.)
Ian said it so well. I was only a child of 4 when JFK was killed and only 9 when MLK and RFK were killed but to me - they were bigger than life - with visions of a better world that colored and shaped my worldview. These men were world figures not just national figures - much like our Pearson and Trudeau or Gandhi or Blair from across the sea.
It's so challenging to discern whose messages from our own era will be timeless but we all seem to agree that MLK offered such a message and example.
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