The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
King? His message still resonates and inspires
It has been nearly 50 years since James Earl Ray opened fire and killed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., silencing a voice that brought reason, hope and inclusion to tens of millions of Americans.
The civil rights leader’s message of non-violence and equality for all men still resonates today — yet is also still being processed into a reality for all men and women.
But King stood for more than equality among the races. He also fought for labor rights, was concerned about the widening gap between rich and poor and the demonizing of progressive social reform.
He knew it was all about the money and in a speech in 1967, he noted “I think it is necessary for us to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights …”
A year later, he began his Poor People’s Campaign to “dramatize the plight of America’s poor of all races and make very clear that they are sick and tired of waiting for a better life.”
That sounds a lot like what is happening in 2018.
Things have improved greatly for many Americans — including blacks — but we still have a long way to go.
On Monday, we will celebrate King’s memory and for those of us who believe in his message, we will once again vow to stay committed to his dream — which includes that one day we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.
I know that paraphrased message still rings true with many people of all colors because I talk with them weekly. Many of us — even those of us who were too young to understand their significance, know about Montgomery, Albany, Birmingham, Selma, Chicago, and Memphis. We will never forget Memphis.
King’s birthday will be a special day as it has been every year since it was made a national holiday.
The federal government will shut down, banks will close, TV stations will air documentaries about his life, commentators will talk about the need to embrace and further his teachings, schoolchildren will show their awareness of his greatness by creating messages of peace, ministers will sermonize, churches will host events and King will be honored with speeches and marches. Then comes Tuesday, Jan. 16. And we are back to being reminded by white nationalists and antifa movements as well as those who are disgruntled that his dream of inclusiveness and equality is not only unfulfilled, but still being challenged.
King continues to inspire the vast majority of Americans and his words are like a light for our everyday lives. His words and teachings are as relevant now as they were in the 1960s.
A bullet took his breath but not his voice — and 50 years later, his dream has not changed and remains the glue that binds many of us together.