In 2005 I was in St. Louis visiting my parents. I took this opportunity to attend a Civic Ceremony honoring Dr. King inside the historic Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott case was tried.
The Civic Ceremony was complete with speeches by local politicians and community leaders. Although a “Civic Ceremony”, it included Christian scripture lessons and prayers.
Many quoted “I have a dream,” and celebrated progress in the African American community. Others highlighted the challenges for civil rights today with particular focus on the problems experienced in the St. Louis school system. These are good and necessary things – but I felt that there was something missing.
This was underscored for me when one of the Community Leaders, while calling us to take action to improve the schools, lamented that children cannot pray to God in school.
This struck me as contrary to the legacy of Martin Luther King. Dr. King was not about hollow expressions of public piety. He was about actions motivated by his religious experience. He was about coalitions for change. His vision of civil rights was not confined to those who shared his religious beliefs, or those who shared his race. His vision of civil rights was one of inclusion – encompassing differences in belief. His vision was a global vision that crossed boundaries of religion, race and nationality.
Listening to the speeches and reviewing the program, I was struck by something else. In the chronology of events listed in Dr. King’s life, along with the marches and the boycotts, was this entry: Feb. 1959 – Travels to India. I then realized what else was missing – Martin Luther King’s passionate commitment to non-violence and unwavering opposition to war. Dr. King believed that progress toward a just society was not possible while American Militarism pursued war abroad. War corrupted America’s “soul”. As controversial as Dr. King’s advocacy for civil rights was, his advocacy against the Vietnam War was even more controversial. He was a global advocate for peace and non-violence.
On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King spoke on “Beyond Vietnam,” at Riverside Church, New York City:
… Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours…
In 2005 the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq were all too obvious. Dr. King’s words also fit the conflicts that the United States is engaged in today.
At the ceremony at the Courthouse none of the speakers talked about nonviolence or war. The interviews and memorial statements that I heard today, in 2015, also failed to mention his commitment to peace.
Why narrow the legacy of Martin Luther King? His views on civil rights may now be considered more mainstream – worthy of accolades from civic leaders and politicians alike – but we still are far from realizing Dr. King’s dream. His stands on violence and war remain controversial, too controversial it would seem to mention when honoring his life.
The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., looms large. He was a champion for equal rights and peace. Non-violence was his tool.
