A reminder to keep getting in good trouble

IF Martin Luther King was alive today, he would be 91. He probably would not have made it this far as, after he was assassinated in 1968, the autopsy reported that he had the heart of a 60-year-old in his 39-year-old body. He had put in a lot of work. MLK was very much present in the funeral of John Lewis in the Ebenezer Baptist Church (the church where King preached), in Atlanta, Georgia two weeks ago. It was broadcast live on CNN. It was a good funeral.

I knew a little of John Lewis and should have known a lot more. A decade younger than King, he was a leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He was beaten to within an inch of his life on Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama on ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1965. Throughout his life, Lewis espoused non-violent protest. He was a member of Congress for Georgia from 1986 until his death. Without John Lewis, we probably would not have had president Barack Obama.

That Lewis died in the wake of the Black

Lives Matter movement, and at a time when the current president has fuelled racism, made his funeral an occasion for all to focus on what a good human being can achieve. His last public act, when he knew he was dying of pancreatic cancer, was to be photographed at the Black Lives Matter Plaza that leads up to the discredited White House. He wrote an op ed for the New York Times which was published on the day of the funeral. As Obama remarked, “John left us our marching orders”. It was instructions to keep getting in ‘good trouble… necessary trouble’.

Young people half a century ago brought about enormous changes, breaking down segregation and challenging racism. Young people today are an energetic driving force in the BLM protests. It is all too easy for older generations to settle to a new norm when the job has not been finished. A lot of us needed a good wake-up call.

Jimmy Carter sent a message that was read at the funeral. Former presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama gave very memorable speeches. But the two outstanding orations were given by people who spanned the years from being friends and colleagues of King and Lewis back to the Selma days, to being inspirational influences today. I did not know their names, yet these were people who were there to hear “I have a dream….” and “I have been to the mountain”.

Rev James Lawson looked a little frail as he walked to the podium. He is 91. He spoke with fire in his belly, told stories, mentioned Gandhi and non-violence and spoke about injustice with a power reminiscent of King. The 1960s protests achieved a lot. There was the Head Start education programme. There were affordable housing programmes, Medicare, anti-poverty programmes and ground-breaking civil rights legislation. What do we need today pretty much worldwide? Well, pretty much the same things.

Xernona Clayton turns 90 this month, a tiny woman who almost skipped to the podium. She had been an activist since working for King in her student days. She introduced John Lewis to his wife Lillian. She told some amusing stories before getting to the meat of it. “We will not be quiet,” was her reminder. “And vote.”

I am a little sorry that it took the death of Lewis to introduce me to these two spectacular role models. Thankfully, in the days of the internet, their contributions are there for all to see. The young amongst us will add some wisdom to their energy. Maybe the complacent older among us will have memories sparked and energies reignited. And wake up to our marching orders while there is time.