Martin Luther King Jr. holiday: call to unity

By CATRINA FRANCIS
Turret Senior Staff Writer
catrina.francis@us.army.mil
As we approach the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, I believe it’s important to point out why his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday the third Monday in January.
Was Dr. King a communist or rabble-rouser as some have suggested? Is he truly worthy of a holiday? Are his accomplishments still relevant?
There are some who believe Dr. King’s accomplishments aren’t worthy of a holiday or a day off.
One of my fondest childhood memories was when my family visited Atlanta during the summer of 1979. I remember asking my mother if we could visit the city because it was Dr. King’s hometown. I was finally afforded an opportunity to visit a place I had only read about in history books.
I remember visiting the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King preached many of his fiery sermons. As we were passing the church and looking for a parking space, his father was exiting the church. I wished I could have met him that day to ask what Martin was like as a child. I often wondered at what point he realized he was raising a child who would someday change the world.
I didn’t meet Daddy King that day, but we visited MLK’s childhood home. I couldn’t believe that I was walking down the same halls and rooms Martin walked and possibly ran down as a child.
A couple of years ago while driving to work I was listening to a radio show. The topic of the day was the MLK holiday. The host read a letter written by an outraged parent. The parent was upset because his child’s school doesn’t celebrate the holiday.
His letter stated that Dr. King is worthy of a holiday that should be celebrated by everyone—in all fairness—because the school honors Columbus Day.
Speaking of Columbus, a book by Dinesh D’Souza, author of “The End of Racism,” contains less than glowing remarks about Columbus, the explorer who reportedly discovered the New World—but not America—in 1492.
As we approach the 26-year observance of the MLK holiday, I’ve asked myself and others many questions over the years about Dr. King’s accomplishments as well as his character flaws.
I remember in 1989 when the late Rev. Ralph Abernathy, a close friend of Dr. King and a fellow civil rights leader, criticized him for perceived personal and moral failures in his book “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down.”
I asked myself, does a man’s character diminish who he is and what he does? I honestly have mixed feelings because we hold our leaders and religious clergy in high esteem. When their flaws are revealed we are often unforgiving.
When Rev. Abernathy’s book was published I was upset that he would write a book about Dr. King’s indiscretions with women, especially if Rev. Abernathy’s only motive was to make a dollar. Did we really need to know that about Dr. King? And why did Rev. Abernathy believe it was important to write a book about someone who is revered in history?
While I don’t condone Dr. King’s womanizing, his extra-marital affairs don’t lessen his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Without Dr. King, would we have The Civil Rights Act of 1964 or The Voting Rights Act of 1965?
I believe African-Americans would have eventually secured the right to vote as well as the civil rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution, but I don’t know when that would have happened.
It’s important that we remember Dr. King stood steadfastly for equal rights while under constant threats of death. He was willing to suffer physical and verbal abuse, and even imprisonment, for the cause.
Dr. King strongly believed in the old saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
I also believe it’s significant to note the manner in which he achieved his goal—through nonviolence. Dr. King studied Mahatma Gandhi and his nonviolent methods, adopting many.
When Dr. King led the march on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963, and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, the meaning was meant to be inclusive of African-Americans.
Dr. King said, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
We must remember Dr. King’s dream included all men, and it would be a disservice if we ignored his encouragement to unity.
As we celebrate the life of Dr. King Monday, I urge everyone to take a moment and reflect upon what the holiday means, along with the value of looking at the sum total of a person’s life.