Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! On the third Monday of January, the U.S. collectively celebrates Dr. King’s birthday and recognizes his countless efforts and contributions to the furtherance of human and civil rights. Many of us learned about Dr. King in school, listening to his famous “I Have A Dream” speech and enjoying a day off to celebrate his memory. You may have been a South-born person and taken field trips to his hometown of Atlanta or to the Lorraine Motel, the place where he was assassinated. For all of us, Dr. King’s teachings and lifelong mission of equality transcend geographic location and background.
Dr. King is best remembered for his work in ending racial injustices faced Black Americans during the 1960s. He was a pillar in the Civil Rights Movement, and was the face of nonviolent progress. However, it is often overlooked that Dr. King advocated for many causes that were outside the realm of racial injustice. This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let’s remember the man whose life’s work was dedicated to the elevation of all marginalized people.
He was shifting his focus from labor and economic equality to work
Dr. King was supporting striker sanitation workers in Memphis on the day of his assassination. Two workers had been struck by a garbage truck and were killed. This caused outrage and highlighted the need to improve labor conditions in Memphis and the rest of the U.S. This trip was in line with Dr. King’s gradual transition to issues plaguing the economically disadvantaged. As part of the Poor People’s Campaign, Dr. King saw a direct connection between poverty, economic inequality, racism, and human rights. During the 1960s, there was often overlap between communities that faced racial struggles and communities experiencing financial hardship—a not-so-coincidental link that still exists today.
Economic security was the goal of the Poor People’s Campaign and the larger Labor Movement, each of which were integral to Dr. King’s ultimate dream of equality.
He stood for peaceful resistance
Dr. King is revered largely because of his belief that nonviolent demonstrations are necessary in the fight for equality racial. As a young preacher, King spoke out about equality through peaceful methods. This ideology was carried throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King used basements of churches to train nonviolent demonstrators for sit ins, boycotts, marches, and other peaceful activities. Although Dr. King taught nonviolence, he knew that aggressors would willfully inflict violence on him and other demonstrators, so Dr. King also taught demonstrators to be prepared for cigarette smoke being blown in their faces, being physically attacked, and being forcibly taken into custody—maintaining nonviolence all the while.
Dr. King’s belief in nonviolent demonstrations went beyond U.S. borders. He publicly denounced the Vietnam War as violent and unnecessary during the war and received a lot of backlash. He believed that the disputes between Vietnam and America could have been resolved peacefully. He also believed that Black soldiers weredisproportionately hurt and killed. He realized that he couldn’t preach messages of nonviolence during domestic unrest and not preach the same messages during foreign unrest.
He Fought on a Global Scale for Human Rights
One common misconception about the Civil Rights Movement, and the ongoing fight for racial equality in general, is that racism and bigotry are only found in states below the Mason Dixon Line. During the 1960s, the most blatant instances of anti-Black racism occurred in the South, but Northern states weren’t void of their own prejudices. Dr. King understood that true equality could only happen if we look beyond the South and he was actively expanding his teachings throughout the U.S.A and around the globe. The Chicago Freedom Movement was launched by Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1966. This campaign sought to combat subtle racism such as discriminatory housing practices and employment practices in Northern areas. The Chicago Freedom Movement was successful and, by the end 1966, the Chicago Housing authority (and the Mortgage Bankers Association) had made significant changes in their policies.
Dr. King visited many countries outside the United States to discuss the Black American experience, and gain information about other marginalized groups around the world. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a success, Dr. King and his spouse traveled to Ghana in 1957 to witness its independence ceremony. This trip served as an inspiration for the freedom that he wanted Black Americans in the U.S. Shortly after, in 1959, Dr. King and his wife spent five weeks in India, where he met with Mahatma Gandhi’s family and closest advisors. He also met with India’s leaders in nonviolence and peaceful resistance.
Honoring All of Dr. King’s Work
The “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most gripping pieces of prose in history. It’s real and honest, optimistic and inspiring—but it only represents a fraction of the work that Dr. King was committed to. While racial justice is an immediate need, and was arguably even more so in the 1960s than it is now, Dr. King saw it only as one piece of a larger puzzle that involved atrocities against vulnerable communities in America. As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let’s remember the breadth of those Dr. King fought for and continue those fights because his vision was truly one of liberty and justice for all.
Source: The Every Girl
