To the
honorable Mayor Joe Tamburino,
official board, the Human Rights
Commission, all elected and
appointed officials and to all of
you assembled here. Good morning.
Thank
you for the opportunity to speak on
and celebrate with you the birthday
of the great social leader, Martin
Luther King, Jr., to contemplate his
life, his lessons, and legacy. Our
theme, Strength for the Journey,
asks us to examine the life of this
man as a journey and to examine the
things that gave him strength to
complete it.
With
all that we know about the life of
Martin, it is almost unbelievable
that all of what we know happened in
39 short years. He graduated from
High School at 15, got his BA from
Morehouse at 19, his PhD at 26, and
became the youngest person to
receive the Nobel Peace Prize at
35. In the eleven-year period
between 1957 and 1968, King traveled
over six million miles and spoke
over 2500 times. I would say that is
an amazing life! Moreover, he got it
all done in 39 short years!
Someone once said that it’s not how
long you live…but how well or
favorably you live.
In 39
years, Martin Luther King filled our
consciousness with messages of hope
and demands for change. The content
of his message, combined with the
peaceful but insistent way it was
delivered, secured his place as a
statesman for this country, and as a
world leader to be mentioned in the
same breath as Gandhi, Mother Teresa
and Abraham Lincoln.
The
period in which he lived was a time
of great social upheaval, not only
here in the United States, but
throughout the world. There were
wars against communists, wars to
protect innocent populations from
ethnic cleansing, and a war in
Vietnam that did not pass muster as
a legitimate use of the resources of
good men.
Dr.
King however was more concerned
about the wars that were fought in
the shadows;
Wars
waged against those who did not have
the good fortune to be born with the
“right” color skin or the “right”
socioeconomic standing. It was just
as important to him to end the full
frontal assault on the poor, the
disadvantaged, and those who did not
fit the stereotypical definition of
a “fine American.”
Let us
for a moment remember the turbulent
60s. -----The streets of America
were filled with protest, and the
reactions by law enforcement often
made the streets look like war
zones. Even today, it seems that
Americans not only have to fight
injustice in other countries, but
also must fight back against greedy
mega-corporations bent on driving
down wages to maximize profits for
shareholders and performance bonuses
for CEOs. This is not a conflict
that was sought out by the poor and
middle class, but rather a
pre-emptive strike against
prosperity, a zero sum game being
played by the wealthy few who
believe that there is only so much
to go around and anything is
justified in the pursuit of the
Almighty Dollar.
Nevertheless, King was not seeking
monetary gain. He was not seeking
profit; he was seeking gains for
stakeholders, those that worked for
low pay, and those that were
discriminated against and under the
Billy club of prejudice. Those
treated like animals that were told
where they could eat, where they
could drink, where they could use
the restroom. King sought change.
That
change came about with mobilization
of the stakeholders. The poor and
disadvantaged were the same people
who helped build this country. They
hold down two jobs at minimum wage
and ask only for a roof over their
heads and to feed their family. In
this great country of ours, this
should not be too much to ask.
The
mission that King undertook required
great strength. Therefore, when we
speak of “Strength for the Journey,”
we are speaking of inner strength.
Certainly we can be there for each
other, to help and provide moral and
physical support, but we cannot do
this without inner strength.
There
is no doubt that King must have had
boundless reserves of fortitude,
confidence, optimism and hope to
keep up his journey. It is amazing
that someone who faced so much
opposition was able to persevere.
The opposition was not simple
disagreements. We are talking about
violence, death threats, corrupt law
enforcement officials and the
overseer named Jim Crow that stood
in King’s way. The mountain of
opposition King faced is enough to
make anyone quit, and if he had
quit, maybe some of us would have
understood why he would, and perhaps
we would have quit too.
But
the beauty of the story of Martin
Luther King is the reserves of
strength that he could tap to
continue the journey. He did not
quit; and we are all better today
for that.
My
former colleague now in the U.S.
Senate Barack Obama is another
example of a man who did not quit,
in spite of all the obstacles, that
Obama faced during his U.S. Senate
race just a couple of years ago.
No money, no organization, nobody
knew him and with a name like Obama----
what an insurmountable task! Barack
tapped on his inner strength to
continue the journey to become the
5th African-American senator in
the U.S. Senate, the second since
Reconstruction. In his book,
entitled, “The Audacity of Hope,” he
shares his vision and thoughts on
reclaiming the American Dream. At
the heart of his book, he discusses
his ideas for moving beyond our
divisions with one another to tackle
concrete problems. Now, as he looks
forward to examining a Presidential
run--- he has that same resolve,
fortitude and the audacity of hope.
His story is still being written as
we speak---- so stay tuned!
But
where does this strength come from?
King once said in his acceptance
speech for the Nobel Prize:
“This
faith can give us courage to face
the uncertainties of the future. It
will give our tired feet new
strength as we continue our forward
stride toward the city of freedom.
When our days become dreary with
low-hovering clouds and our nights
become darker than a thousand
midnights, we will know that we are
living in the creative turmoil of a
genuine civilization struggling to
be born.”1
There
are a few key phrases that we can
take from that quote to help us
understand King a bit more. He
spoke of faith as a means of giving
courage to face uncertainty, a way
to give tired feet new strength. He
knew that the journey was a long and
hard one and that he would have to
draw upon abstract concepts to make
the impossible a reality. As a
Christian minister, I think it is
safe to say that in addition to
having faith that mankind could
throw off the shackles of conflict
and hate, there was also a belief in
the greatness of God and faith in
His word as a guiding light to the
“genuine civilization” that he spoke
of.
Martin
King was a great admirer of Gandhi
and his philosophy of non-violence
and non-cooperation. Gandhi often
preached that violence was evil, yet
civil disobedience was a noble
catalyst for change. King was a
firm believer in this idea. To him,
action must be taken, because
apathetic inaction is just as bad as
violent action.
He
said, “…acquiescence –while often
the easier way—is not the moral
way. It is the way of the coward.”2
King’s
thoughts on non-violence, many of
which were revealed in his book
entitled "Stride Toward Freedom," are
compatible with our analysis of the
theme of a journey. A journey, by
its definition, implies that there
is no instant gratification. With
violence, you can have an instant
result, which is the destruction of
that which offends and oppresses
you. To King, non-violence was not
only a moral means to achieve racial
equality, it was a journey. He
said: “The nonviolent approach
provides an answer to the long
debated question of gradualism
versus immediacy… It recognizes the
need for moving toward the goal of
justice with wise restraint and calm
reasonableness.”3
Non-violence requires inner
strength. Anyone, when confronted,
is capable of succumbing to
instinctual urges of violence.
True strength is resisting that
urge, harnessing the mental clarity
that allows you to look ahead and
see the goal, then merging your
personal values and morals with the
goal and choosing a plan of action
that will realize the goal.
So,
non-violence teaches us that there
is a middle ground between inaction
and overreaction. I think that is
one of the most important lessons
that Dr. King left us with. For far
too long, political discourse in
America has been hijacked by extreme
and opposing interests. They want
us to see the world in black and
white concepts, with no shades of
gray.
As
often the case, if you look in the
middle of the two groups and past
the dogma of both sides, you can
often find the truth. You can
recognize the problem and the fact
that something needs to be done,
while rejecting the extreme
solutions proposed. Without a
doubt, King had to confront those
who advocated violent resistance AND
those who would rather shrink and do
nothing.
But,
why are we here today on Jan. 15,
the birthday of Martin Luther King?
What is it about this particular man
that brings us together every year
to celebrate and remember? Of the
many holidays we observe, what made
King one of only four persons
revered enough to stop the grind of
government and financial markets for
a day?
King
exhibited a number of strengths for
his life journey. He had vision,
was self-disciplined, felt
responsibility to do something about
conditions, was passionate, listened
to people, took initiative, was
generous, had courage, discernment,
exhibited competence, charisma and
character.
In
other words, he had the whole
“package.” In the interest of time,
I am unable to talk about all of
these excellent attributes. -- But
for just a few moments, I would like
examine just four: The Four Cs:
courage, character, charisma and
competence.
How
one confronts adversity will give
you a clue about his character. He
chooses either character or
compromise; or he compromises his
character to take the easy way out.
Adversity is a funny thing, although
most of us would move away from pain
--- character is born out of pain.
Wherever there was pain, King would
go there.
King
himself said, “The ultimate measure
of a man is not where he stands at
the times of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at
times of challenge and
controversy.”4 Looking at his short
life---his many arrests, marches,
boycotts, and the attempts upon his
and his family’s lives --his
tremendous courage can not be
overlooked.
Most
people would agree that King was
articulate and charismatic. Charisma
is not easily defined, but if
someone has it, we will all agree
that he or she has it! Charisma is
simply the ability to draw people to
you. King certainly cared about
others’ challenges and people were
most definitely drawn to him.
Being
charismatic and able to draw people
to you is a great attribute.
However, once you have their
attention; then what? Certainly we
all have met people that appear
interesting on the surface yet, once
engaged they betray what is (or
isn’t) going on in their heads. It
is then that we get a glimpse of who
they are and what they know.
Competence is what separates sugary
platitudes with concrete
information.
With
Dr. King, we not only have a great
life of service to contemplate, but
we can also learn from his death.
Like many great and controversial
leaders, including Abraham Lincoln,
John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, and Jesus
Christ, Martin Luther King was
killed for who he was and what he
stood for. Through a senseless
killing, fueled by blind rage and
that human desire for immediacy, the
hate that caused their death allowed
them to ascend to a higher plateau.
Nevertheless, this is only a small
comfort that we can take from the
loss; by killing the man, instead of
killing what he stood for, the
killer only strengthens the
movement.
A lot
has happened since Martin left us. I
wonder what he would think if he
could see what we have accomplished
and yet what is still left to be
done.
Here
(as articulated by Michael
Morehead)5 is life’s paradox:
|
Since
Martin left ...
"We have taller
buildings, but shorter tempers,
wider freeways but narrower
viewpoints
|
|
We
spend more but have less; we buy
more but enjoy it less.
|
|
We
have bigger houses and smaller
families, more conveniences, but
less time.
|
|
We
have more degrees, but less common
sense, more knowledge, but less
judgment;
|
|
It is
a time when there is much in the
show window and little in the
stockroom. |
|
We
have more experts but more problems;
more medicine but we’re still sick. |
|
Since
Martin left, we stay up too late,
get too tired, read too little,
watch TV too much and pray to
seldom. |
|
We
have multiplied our possessions but
reduced our values; we talk too
much, love too little and lie too
often. |
|
We’ve
learned how to make a living, but
not a life. We’ve added years to
life but not life to years. |
|
We’ve
become long on quantity and short on
quality. We’ve been all the way to
the moon and back but have trouble
crossing the street to meet a new
neighbor. |
|
We’ve
conquered outer space; but not inner
space. We’ve done the larger things,
but not the better things; we’ve
cleaned up the air but polluted our
souls. |
|
Since
Martin left, we have higher incomes,
but lower morals---more
acquaintances and fewer friends. |
|
These
are the times of tall men and short
character, steep profits and shallow
relationships. |
|
These
are the days of two incomes, but
more divorce; fancier houses, but
broken homes. |
|
These
are the days of disposable diapers,
and throwaway morality. |
|
We are
plagued with overweight bodies and
pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill." |
As I
prepare to go to my seat, I’d like
you to consider where we would be
today if King hadn’t been killed. I
would submit that if he were here he
would be still fighting for
justice. However, we certainly
would not be here today, honoring
his life. In a sad way, his death
brings us together.
After
his death, even the contemplation of
honoring his birthday was not
without its controversy. When
Congress was debating the idea of a
national holiday honoring Dr. King,
there was much opposition. Many of
his detractors questioned why there
needed to be a holiday for Dr.
King. There were passionate
speeches given AGAINST the holiday.
However, in 1986, Congress passed
the King Holiday and Service Act,
designating today as a day of
volunteerism and service. The motto
of the organization charged with
promoting this idea is “A day ON,
not a day OFF.”
So
now, what about you ----- what about
your own journey? Will you have
your work done at the time
appointed? Do you know what your
life purpose is and are you on
track? Or are you in a rut and
putting off what you know to be your
calling? I believe that God has
endowed each of us with the seeds of
greatness and we only need to draw
upon that inner strength for our
journeys. Today is a good day to
find the “King” inside of you.
It is
true that life is a journey. You do
not always end up where you thought
you would. In my own life, I made a
conscious decision to commit myself
to a career in public service and I
am proud and humbled to serve you
all. Public service is a journey
filled with deliberate efforts to
fix the underlying problems that
cause so much suffering and
hardship. It takes inner strength
to not lose patience with the
glacial pace of public policy. It
takes inner strength to resist the
urge to throw up our hands and say,
“it’s just too hard.” But remember
this: those that want to take away
everything we’ve worked for, in some
sick way, are very persistent and
patient. They will not give up.
As I
go to my seat, let us contemplate
yet another quote from King:
“One
day we must come to see that the
whole Jericho road must be
transformed so that men and women
will not be constantly beaten and
robbed as they make their journey on
life's highway. True compassion is
more than flinging a coin to a
beggar; it is not haphazard and
superficial. It comes to see that an
edifice which produces beggars needs
restructuring.”6
Let us
begin the transformation today.
Thank
you.
Credits:
1 - Martin Luther King's Acceptance
Speech, on the occasion of the award
of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo,
December 10, 1964.
2 - ML King, Jr. from "Stride
Towards Freedom,"1958
3 - ML King, Jr. from "Stride
Towards Freedom," 1958
4 - ML King, Jr. from
"Strength to Love," 1963
5 - Credit to Michael Morehead not
in speech as given
6 - ML King, Jr. from "Strength to
Love," 1963
