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This year, let’s not water down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s revolutionary messaging

I grew up in Texas and am a product of its public schools, which is to say that I was taught a very specific, sanitized version of U.S. history — a fact I was unaware of until I moved 1,200 miles away to attend college in Chicago.

It was there, in an urban planning class, that I learned about Martin Luther King Jr.’s part in the Chicago Freedom Movement. It was there that I learned about his disdain for what he called the “white moderate.”

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a ‘more convenient season.’” — Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 1963

When I look back on key events that have taken place the last three years — the disproportionate impact of Covid on Black and Brown communities, the 2020 uprisings, ongoing threats to our democracy, the sharp rise in hate crimes — I’m reminded of a speech Dr. King gave at Grosse Pointe High School weeks before his assassination.

“Now I wanted to say something about the fact that we have lived over these last two or three summers with agony and we have seen our cities going up in flames. And I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non­-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results.

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.” — The Other America, 1968

One more thing about King: Not only did he speak out against racism, but also American militarization and unfettered capitalism. Oh, and he was in favor of universal basic income. You can read more about that here.

I hope during this long weekend, you’re able to spend some time in community with others who are actively working to make King’s vision of a truly equitable America a reality. — Alicia Ramirez

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