Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 years old when assassinated, 50 years ago
Considering how MLK has shaped the consciousnesses of modern America, it's hard to believe the larger-than-life civil rights leader was less than 40 years old when he was killed on his hotel balcony in Memphis, half a century ago. To honor the fallen hero, bells throughout the USA will ring 39 times, in ceremonies and performances throughout the country.
Because we still do not live in a post racial society, we must continue to revisit his visionary dream and wise words, asking ourselves how best we can try to carry forward his legacy.
Here is how King’s friend, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, memorably described this great moral hero & one of the founding fathers of America as we know it, in a speech 10 days before MLK’s death:
Where in America, today, do we hear a voice like the voice of the prophets of Israel? Martin Luther King is a sign that God has not forsaken the United States of America.”
Below, are some enduring quotes by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to help lead the way:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that."
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
"The time is always right to do what's right."
...
Rest in power, revered Reverend. _/|\_ I leave you with these excerpts from a remarkable and timeless sermon, Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam delivered by MLK, just one year before his assassination:
"Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery...
the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal...
"I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a Radical Revolution of Values...
When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered."
Full Sermon, below:
(Archival images: PBS)
I see a lot of complacency in my own country as people adjust to higher and higher crime rates by grumbling briefly then settling into lives that are more and more restricted. The world needs people like MLK who shake us from that state and remind us of the way we're living and what we should be striving for.
Even though I was born & raised in Egypt, the US is my country, too :) (I was granted citizenship, as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability, within a couple years of arriving, here, so around a decade ago). Much as I am grateful for the many opportunities it provides, it saddens me deeply to see the direction it is heading in and, in turn, how it affects the rest of the world (as a superpower). Would that we have another MLK-- perhaps, we do, but he cannot be heard over the din.
And even if that voice is heard, will it be believed?
Yes, I believe so...
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. —MLK
Martin loother king jr is a great person in american history . Salute to him
His murder is considered one of the magnicides of the 20th century, he is remembered as a leader and defender of nonviolence.
Thank you, for introducing me to a new word: magnicide.
They tried to bury his dream with him, but it’s up to us to keep it alive. 🙏🏼
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