The Corner of Cross and Damon

January 23, 2008 by Marc Lamont Hill

My Frustration With King Day
Matt Birkhold

Without question Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most significant human beings ever born in the United States. Because of this, he is the only American to have a holiday named after him. This past weekend I saw countless events advertised that all claimed to be either celebrating, or carrying on the legacy of Dr. King. Unfortunately, very few of these events proceed with an understanding of King’s actual legacy.

Talking about King’s legacy requires that we move beyond his dream and deal with his radical belief that, “in order to conquer the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and economic exploitation, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values, which would “cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our privileges.” We must acknowledge that society is spiritually sick; ruled by a need to consume and fears of rejection, we are kept from acting in the interests of justice. If we don’t start here, we are only taking a day off work.

Beginning Easter weekend 1963, King started to walk a path to social justice characterized by strong principles and an undying commitment to love and justice rarely talked about. By 1967 King spoke out against the Vietnam War because he was determined to take gospel seriously, and because he agreed with Dante, who said that the hottest places in hell were reserved for those who, in a period of great moral crisis, remained silent. By 1967, King was not solely concerned with integration or racism. By then, he was convinced that racism was merely part of what he called the “triple evils of militarism, racism, and economic exploitation,” which could only be ended by revolutionary change.

By the time of his death, King understood that the struggle for civil and human rights could not be achieved in the US without a revolution because our values would not permit it. Because the US had become “a thing oriented society” that placed profit before human wellbeing, the struggle for human and civil rights could only be accomplished if we, as a society, began the struggle to overcome our need to consume, which would allow us to become a people oriented society.

The radical revolution in values that such a change required would also lead us away from simply wanting to help people to “one day see that the whole Jericho road must be changed.” Band-aid solutions to poverty would lose appeal because “a true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, ‘This is not just.’”

King’s legacy goes far beyond a dream about little black boys and girls being judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. To carry King’s legacy of commitment to truth, justice and love, we as a society must not only undergo a radical revolution of values, but also develop the courage to tell the truth and stand up to injustice regardless of the personal and economic costs. By doing so we will find a freedom that no amount of money could ever produce and in the process we will create the just world King envisioned.

Categories: MLH
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28 Comments

1. John wrote:

Because the US had become “a thing oriented society” that placed profit before human wellbeing, the struggle for human and civil rights could only be accomplished if we, as a society, began the struggle to overcome our need to consume, which would allow us to become a people oriented society.

Surely you aren’t suggesting that other, less consumer-oriented societies do a better job of providing human and civil rights?

You mean like societies in Africa, where machete-wielding vigilantes roam and tribal rivalries are way worse than any racism we harbor?

Or do you mean societies like Cuba, where you can’t even leave the country?

Tell me exactly which country has the monopoly on how to treat its citizens. And show me a country where there are no poor.

January 23, 2008 @ 2:16 pm

2. John wrote:

yeah the whole segregation thing has been abolished…but that was done simply to shut us up

You can’t be serious.

January 23, 2008 @ 2:52 pm

3. wouldn't you like to know? wrote:

but if i get in the mood to elaborate…then i may just hook you up…i’ll think about it…

January 23, 2008 @ 3:09 pm

4. John wrote:

Oh, I understand what you mean.

I just think it is ludicrous to blow off something as signficant as the end of segregation with an off-hand comment like the one you made.

If he were alive today, I think Dr. King would be pleased with some aspects of society’s progress over the past four decades, and disappointed in some, too.

He certainly would not think the struggle was over, but I doubt he would agree with your cynical contention that we are going backwards.

January 23, 2008 @ 3:58 pm

5. DCI74 wrote:

Very good read Matt.

January 23, 2008 @ 4:08 pm

6. wouldn't you like to know? wrote:

perspective*

January 23, 2008 @ 4:18 pm

7. knowledge_base wrote:

John you quoted this and somehow completely missed the depth of the words.

No society that values things over people can be insulated from comitting atrocity. (Ie the Native American, holocausts, slavery, segregation, etc)

You decided to talk about other societies (which I agree aren’t necessarily better) but in doing so you just skipped over America which is the place he (and MLK) was talking about. So how about you talk about the statement as it relates to America?

January 23, 2008 @ 4:24 pm

8. wouldn't you like to know? wrote:

America is a bad place…it’s just an illusion to make you think it’s good….

and since Dr. King we haven’t made significant progress in combatting racism…they’ve just suppressed it…BIG difference…

January 23, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

9. Garrett wrote:

Eliminate crime? I don’t think we’ll ever reach that utopian ideal. People are fallable. Always have been, always will. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better people and by extension be a better society, but we’ve become to factionalized to ever unite to the extent you desire, Matt.

January 23, 2008 @ 7:28 pm

10. Garrett wrote:

Sorry to rain on your historical parade, regkam2, but native american tribes were fighting with each other for hundreds of years before europeans came over and joined the party. They fought over hunting grounds and village sites. War wasn’t invented by the europeans.

January 23, 2008 @ 8:17 pm

11. Jason wrote:

The MLK Boondocks special from 2 years ago…It was so on point it brought tears to my eyes. Did any of you see that?

January 23, 2008 @ 10:15 pm

12. DCI74 wrote:

What are you doing in your community Garrett?

January 24, 2008 @ 11:08 am

13. DCI74 wrote:

That is very cool Brooklyn101 because as I’m sure you know, children that are exposed to creative arts can have their self-worth and self-esteem boosted by these kinds of activities and a child with a strong sense of self is more likely to value their education.

‘But it is an expensive, time-consuming, difficult job to keep these kids motivated and moving forward. The resources that are required are extensive; the families often prove to be obstacles rather than supporters.’

That is so true John and can be said about a lot of programs and organizations with good intentions. One thing I find increasingly difficult is getting kids to dream big when some parents don’t even support their children’s dreams.

January 24, 2008 @ 3:12 pm

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