MLK

this morning i attended the 25th annual brookyln tribute to dr. martin luther king jr at the brooklyn academy of music. for me, MLK remains one of the most influential scholars/theologians/drum majors for justice and change in history. i admire his courage, his diligent advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations, his understanding that racial injustice was not a mere stain on the history of these united states; but the very thing that may destroy it. i admire his sociological imagination and his ability to see war in vietnam and the myth of spreading democracy as being hypocrisy magnified in light of the gross denial of basic democratic privileges to classes of people based on race. most importantly, King was able to understand that the cause of civil rights did not end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and various other policy and legislative directives passed and implemented. in fact, the latter part of King's life was spent supporting causes that led to him being discredited, mocked, and even harassed by the FBI. King went from being celebrated internationally, to having his phones tapped and conversations recorded and being openly attacked and undermined.

the man left such a rich legacy. i really look forward to teaching my nephew and my future children about that legacy. but i think i'd like to move beyond elementary activities where children write their own dream speeches. i want to move beyond the quixotic, idealistic vision of "colorblindness". beyond songs of patiently waiting to overcome. the event at BAM frustrated me because it focused on The Santa Clausification of King. Dr. Cornel West describes the Santa Clausification of "towering freedom fighters" as:

[...]a nice little old man with a smile with toys in his bag, not a threat to anybody, as if his fundamental commitment to unconditional love and unarmed truth does not bring to bear certain kinds of pressure to a status quo. So the status quo feels so comfortable as though it's a convenient thing to do rather than acknowledge him as to what he was, what the FBI said, "The most dangerous man in America." Why? Because of his fundamental commitment to love and to justice and trying to keep track of the humanity of each and every one of us. [...]in the market-driven world in which celebrity status operates in such a way that it tries to diffuse all of the threat and to sugarcoat and deodorize what actually is rather funky. these folk are such powerful forces that are threats to powers that be. Of course, Jesus is a grand example; I'll speak as a Christian. And, of course, we've seen Jesus being Santa Clausified the last two thousand years."

this collective absence of the truth behind Kings work is what truly annoys me. today's event was filled with elected officials who were looking for a sound bite by preaching to the choir about that dream. while King's dream is still profound, i think focusing on this cookie cutter image of a hand holding, negro spiritual singing preacher man takes away from practical grassroots advocacy efforts, including him organizing a Poor Peoples campaign and helping to bridge the knowledge gap that ignored the connection between racism and economic injustice. King was killed in memphis while scheduled to support black sanitation workers who were striking for better wages and better work conditions.

all in all, my appreciation for Dr. King has to do with what he represented: a man whose love for and service to God was mirrored in a deep love for humanity. this was something he recognized as being central to his heart for the despised and voiceless. for example, when asked to defend "joining the voice of dissent" against the war in vietnam, King replied:


"[...]when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I nevertheless am greatly saddened that such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling. They seem to forget that before I was a civil rights leader, I answered a call, and when God speaks, who can but prophesy. I answered a call which left the spirit of the Lord upon me and anointed me to preach the gospel. And during the early days of my ministry, I read the Apostle Paul saying, "Be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of minds." I decided then that I was going to tell the truth as God revealed it to me. No matter how many people disagreed with me, I decided that I was going to tell the truth."


Happy MLK Day!

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