The Legacy of MLK

I've been reading The Heavens Might Crack: the Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., a book which is revelatory, fascinating, and disheartening. It begins with the events immediately leading up to King's assassination just before Holy Week in 1968, and what has transpired in the fifty years since that fateful event in Memphis. Through the decades MLK has been transformed "from outlaw to saint" (a chapter title) in the American consciousness and he is the most respected non-presidential figure, according to polls. Yet King was hated by millions of white Americans, an attitude that endured for decades. He was viewed as a communist sympathizer who created havoc under the guise of non-violence. He was accused of fomenting violence, although it was nearly always people of colour who were the recipients of violence in encounters with authorities. Sadly, many blacks had distanced themselves from King because they were impatient with his commitment to non-violent change.

On the day of King's death and immediately following many whites literally cheered, while others refused to acknowledge the tragedy of his death nor his significant role as a civil rights leader. At least a quarter of a million people lined the streets of Atlanta to watch his funeral procession but by far the majority were black. Neither President Lyndon Johnston nor his vice-president attended the funeral, in part because Johnston disliked King's growing criticism of the Viet Nam war. 

 

When an annual memorial day was proposed for King there was widespread opposition and President Reagan was among those who strongly resisted creating the holiday. Even after it was signed into existence in 1983 it wasn't adopted by all fifty states until 2000. Several acknowledged it on the same day as Robert E. Lee's commemoration. Lee was the commander of the Confederate forces during the Civil War and a slave owner. 

There are now 650 streets and avenues across the United States bearing Martin Luther King's name, which is impressive. But again, there has been considerable resistance to doing so and some of those streets reverted to previous names because of protests. In many communities the MLK streets end as they leave black neighbourhoods because whites refused to have them run through their part of town. 

It's good to know that in many situations coalitions of union groups and civil rights groups and Christians persisted in bringing about the recognition of King. They understood that his legacy should not be brushed aside, nor should it be air-brushed of the long, hard work of peaceable change.

In a time when anti-racial sentiments are growing around the world, including here in Canada, often under the sinister guise of patriotism it's important to be aware of this history. Martin Luther King deserves to be regarded with respect and as a source of costly inspiration.