Dr. King's Legacy

Seventy-seven years ago yesterday, Michael Luther King, Jr. was born to a schoolteacher and a minister in Atlanta, Georgia. He was later renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. and would go on to become one of the most dynamic leaders in American history. King earned degrees from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, and Boston University in Massachusetts. In the mid 1950's he followed in his father's footsteps and accepted a call to the ministry. It was at this time that he also headed the call of the people, and began leading what would become the American Civil Rights Movement. During the next fourteen years the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. was at the forefront of boycotts, rallies, marches, and demonstrations designed to bring attention to the injustices which plagued the nation. We all know much of what I just said, we all know about his standing beside the late Rosa Parks during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, about his marching in Birmingham and Selma for voter rights, about his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", about his famous "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial, and about his winning the Nobel Peace Prize. His legacy however was much more than that in addition to being a civil rights leader, King was a preacher, a teacher, a husband, and a father. It is imperative that we learn about the totality of his legacy, the totality of his dream, and the totality of his life as a person.

Now seventy-seven years a new book is about to surface which supposedly has allegations of alleged infidelity on the part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The book was authored by the parent of an alum of my high school alma mater, and he is someone who I've had the pleasure of seeing speak before he is the renowned author Taylor Branch. You can read more about the controversy at the link below.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/15/mlk.legacy.ap/index.html

But whether the allegations are true or not, they cannot diminish the good work that was done by Dr. King. I always remember the words of Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, someone who grew up in the south during a time when racism, and discrimination made life miserable. Dr. Hrabowski said, " A person can be imperfect and still do great things." What the story also highlights is a debate about who should oversee The King Center, the site which also is home to the remains of Dr. King. Some believe that the federal government would do a better job maintaining the center, and others believe the King Center would be better off run by a private organization. As I read the article, and I later watched a report on CNN, it struck me that we should all play a part in maintaining Dr. King's legacy. We have all benefitted from the change over time which has ensured that the countries live up to its full potential, and be a nation which truly believes in equity and justice for men, women, and children of different backgrounds.

So endeavor to learn more about the man, honor his legacy, remember his dream, and to keep his dream alive.

For more information on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. click below:
http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
http://www.thekingcenter.org/

Good Day,
-Christopher aka CNEL