Martin Luther King Junior not dead until forgotten
“In every age, there comes a time when a leader must come forward to meet the need of the hour. Therefore there is no potential leader who does not have an opportunity to make a positive difference in society. Tragically, there are times when a leader does not rise to the hour” – Sir Winston Churchill
Over a period of time, history has made Martin Luther King into the most persuasive Apostle of Freedom and his legacy has proved why only few great men have remained after their death what they have been during their lives.
Martin Luther King was a prominent civil right leader who played a pivotal role in the American Civil right movement during the 1950s and 1960s. He advocated for a nonviolent protest and was instrumental in ending racial segregation and promoting equal rights. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on April 4th 1968 in Memphis Tennessee at the Lorraine Motel. The circumstances around his death were tied to his activism and his advocacy for justice and equal rights.
Martin Luther King Junior Democratic Values are a sharp contrast when compared with his leadership styles of the contemporary leaders. Some of these values include a deep commitment to non violent communication and genuine empathy for all people, peaceful dialogue and inclusivity.
Martin Luther King is remembered today for his unwavering commitment to nonviolent protest and his powerful speeches like the iconic “I have a dream speech”, he is also celebrated for pushing forward the civil right acts and the voting right acts and for inspiring generations of activists around the world. His legacy of equality and justice continues to resonate strongly with people across the globe today.
Martin Luther King Junior was born January 15th 1929 and was assisted on April 4th 1968 at the age of 39 years. He was also influential in no small way to the emancipation of the African Americans as Bob Marley the late king of reggae puts it from “mental slavery which is worse than the physical slavery”. His activism had a profound impact on African American political participation. His civil right leadership movement helped to dismantle institutionalized segregation and laid the groundwork for promoting human rights acts of 1965. This act in particular removed barriers for voting for African Americans in the South leading to an increase in their registration and political engagement. Furthermore, his effort inspired future generations to pursue leadership roles, run for office, advocate for social justice in the political system and over time, this led to more African Americans serving in local state and national government positions, helping to shape policies and promote equality. Overall, his legacies continue to influence African American political participation to this day.
Worthy of mention is that some American Presidents did embody and align with the values of Martin Luther King especially in terms of civil rights and equality. For example, Lyndon B. Johnson played a crucial role in passing the civil rights acts in 1964 and the voting right acts in 1965. Barack Obama the First African American President also threw a lot of comparisons to Martin Luther King’s legacy.
The Dividend of Democracy derivable from the practice of it include the welfare of the citizens and the protection of their lives and property, equality and social justice non violent reactions against protest, the sanctity of the rule of law and the entrenchment and the implementation of the social contract where the people and the electorate are considered a critical stakeholder in the running of the government. Just as the sky cannot be hidden with regard to visibility to both the short and the tall, the same applies to the characters of people especially the leaders which as a smoke cannot be hidden but only takes some time to be made manifest. The life and legacies of Martin Luther King is instructive in that it clearly shows that one does not need to get to the echelon of power before his leadership qualities are made manifest as a matter of fact, it would have been better for most of the leaders we have today not to get to the offices they occupy for the sake of posterity and a good example of such leaders within the African continent who have legacies that are stainless and would forever continue to speak about their values in the positive light include the late politician and statesman in Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief MKO Abiola and Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and the likes. History does not die and to this end, good name should be cherished more than silver and gold. Martin Luther King Junior is not in the category of those who after their death have ceased to be who and what they were when alive, for no one is considered dead until he is forgotten.
There are legacies and there are legacies, and the best legacy is that speaks long after the actors must have exited the stage. Happy Martin Luther King Junior Day to fellow Americans and all those who have benefited in one way or the other from the legacy of this great political icon and the Apostle of freedom across the globe.
By Samuel Tunji Adeyanju
Responses