Dr. King Today

There were few figures that had as much impact on Georgia politics as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  As someone who stands on the shoulders of civil rights leaders like Dr. King I wanted to honor him.  I wondered what Dr. King would say about Trump, a Georgia gubernatorial primary with two dynamic women leaders in the race, the state of the economy and more.

President Ronald Reagan signed into law HR3706 creating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on November 2, 1983.  At that time President Reagan created the first federal holiday honoring an African American which would be celebrated on the third Monday in January every year.  Since that bill signing 35 years ago, the King holiday has evolved.  King Day has morphed from a mere day of observance, to furniture and car sales, to what is now a National Day of Service as signed into law in 1994 by Presidenti Clinton.  By 2000, all 50 states officially recognized King Day although individuals and corporations often opt out.

I believe Dr. King would be proud that we have moved away from the MLK day car sales and towards the spirit of a community service projects as a day on not a day off.   I do not want to presume what a man as dynamic as Dr. King would think about Georgia and America beyond that.    As I read his historic quotes in honor of him today, I couldn’t help but imagine them outside of their original context and within the context of the current political climate.  How do you think Dr. King would respond?

Dr. King what do you think about Donald Trump as president?

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

How should American’s who are concerned about Trump deal with him?

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Dr. King, what about our criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex?

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Dr. King, racial injustice is still a problem in America.  What do you say to anyone who sees these injustices but are not directly affected by them? Do other Americans have a responsibility to solve a problem they did not cause?  

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

What do you think about the modern day protest in America?

“But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear?…It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.” —  “The Other America,” 1968