Happy Martin Luther King Day!
I recently had a young man ask me what book I thought was the most important to read, in order to really understand Dr. King? Now, that is an interesting question. I have a rather large King section in my library -- books by King, about King, and others in which, while he is not the central figure, his influence is felt throughout. Ive also collected, over the years, a substantial number of newspaper and magazine articles about King. And I have an old record album of highlights of his speeches.
His best-know writing would be the letter from the Birmingham jail; his most famous speech is the I Have a Dream from Washington, DC. Yet, even in these cases, the majority of Americans are primarily familiar with highlights, rather than the full message. Both of these messages are extremely important -- so much so, in my opinion, that is essential that people study them in their entirety. This includes placing them correctly within the context of his other lesser-know, but equally important messages to America.
Anything less actually promotes the marginalizing of Kings life, and helping to create the safe version of Martin. The plaster-of-paris saint that never existed. A non-threatening black leader who wanted nothing more than full access to public drinking fountains and toilets. The chocolate Easter bunny: sweet on the outside, but hollow under that thin surface.
Tavis Smileys 2014 book, Death of a King, challenged that image. The author focused on the last year of Kings life -- a year in which King told America that the only way to make a dream into reality was to wake up, and take the bold, often dangerous steps towards that goal. And, as Smiley documents, a good many people rejected Kings message, and King himself, in those last twelve months of his life. This included not only his enemies and critics, but also many of those who had been part of the Civil Rights movement along side of King.
It would be easy to mistakenly believe that Martin became militant as a result of his life experiences in the mid-1960s. However, if one takes the time needed to study Kings thinking while he was a university student -- something that the FBI certainly did -- it becomes obvious that even as a young man, Martin Luther King was far more militant in his thinking than the image of him in Birmingham or Selma portrayed.
Thus, I told the young man who asked my opinion regarding which King book is most important to read, that there is no single answer to that. The 1986 collection of his speeches and writings, A Testament of Hope, is a great starting point. But to truly honor King, in a way that opens the possibility of our waking up America in order to make his dream real, we should be engaging in an on-going study of his lifes works.
Peace,
H2O Man