Commemorating the Radical Dr. King
Earlier this morning I appeared on Fox 5 NY where I discussed the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination. I feel conflicted about commemorating Dr. King on the day of his death. Obviously not because I don’t find his work worthy but because his murder is representative of the evil stain and very real violent reactions that occur when marginalized and oppressed groups stand up and speak out to demand that this country live up to the promise of equality and freedom. I’m also struck by the blatant hypocrisy people exhibit when it comes to Dr. King.. Here is a man and a movement that in real time was perceived as a danger to American society while they were peacefully but forcefully demanding equal representation, the right to vote, the right to pursue economic prosperity and pursue their own happiness without living under the heavy thumb of racial restrictions and threat of violence and death. And now today, this same movement that was perceived as a threat is now commercialized and sanitized and MLK’s words and mission are often described as extremely passive. His words are cherry picked and used as weapons against modern day activists and protesters who today are fighting similar injustices. I urge you to resist celebrating the sanitized #MLK. Read all of his words, study the movement, learn from the mistakes and internalize the radical Dr. King. Below are a few books I personally own which have influenced my views on Dr. King.
#MLK Book Recommendations