Martin Luther King: His Message Revived
We need the elevating inspiration of Martin Luther King now more than ever. As images and video continue to give us additional painful insight to the insurrection of our Capitol on January 6, I find myself incapable of understanding how such a deep and widespread movement of bigotry and racism is unleashed. Love was smothered by a relentless intention to suppress and harm others. Representations of intolerance were waved, worn, and screamed in the hollows of our Capitol. The rerun continues to be startling and deeply disturbing. Prejudice is masked in those that walk among us.
The mission of Martin Luther King and all who peacefully marched along with him over 50 years ago is as relevant now more than ever. I wonder if our collective consciousness has evolved at all since then. My heart aches at the still-widespread and unresolved race issues in our country; directly aimed at making others feel less than worthy of freedom and opportunity.
I try to imagine how many times Martin Luther King was tempted to succumb to paralyzing despair. Racially driven hate can be like an unleashed beast, and over the past century, the ensuing harm and injustices have been fueled by ignorance and narrow-mindedness. The images from two weeks ago are still playing havoc with my hope. Yet, Dr. King persisted. He would not allow himself or his mission to stoop to the same hate-based tactics that bombarded the simple quest for justice and tolerance. In looking to his words for inspiration, I was struck by how often Dr. King referred to “love” as the way through our systemic challenge of universal equality.
I’m a middle aged white woman whose never been the subject of vicious and furious bigotry. I have two sons and never once did I feel the need to talk to them about how others might judge them because of the color of their skin. But I do know love, and I know the call that love dares us to aspire to. I also challenge myself to reflect upon whether the tentacles of bigotry have taken residence in my sub consciousness. If so, it’s time for me to become more self-aware and purge them. It might be a good exercise for all of us.
We are on the cusp of a new dawn in our country. Our Democracy was threatened by hate, and the aftermath is heartbreaking. But at least on this Martin Luther King Day, we are reminded to stay the course. I pray those who carry the burden of hate will have a change of heart. Dr. King himself said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” He knew that hate could only offer a dead end. Love, in contrast, is an eternal source for goodness and truth and joy. In MLK’s memory, I recommit to love and the repudiation of all that continues to yield dead ends towards unity and justice for all. Dr. King believed, despite it all, that we could overcome. Today, I’m renewed in love.