Remembering Dr. King: Time Is What We Make It

Forty years have passed since the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. America lost a pure soul and a charismatic leader who tried to unite people. Many television programs devoted time to memorialize one of the true kings of justice and equality. His surname is such an appropriate fit.

Someone said that “Dr. King is more alive today.” He certainly lives collectively in the hearts of many Americans and people from all over the world and many of us can recall and recite different excerpts from his famous speeches. Perhaps what we should remember more is that Dr. King knew that humanity had a life lesson to learn. He knew that it may not have been learned or internalized immediately. And forty years later, that lesson is just as pivotal. We must be “appalled at the silence of good people.” Too many of us continue to accept injustice. We see the hundreds of homeless individuals on the streets of every major city in this country and do very little to change what must be an intolerable state of existence.

Martin L. King III reminded us recently that the best way to honor Dr. King’s memory is to do something to eliminate the poverty in this country. He cited that there are 36 million Americans that live in poverty. That is appalling. Twelve million children live in poverty. That is appalling. Where have the good people been for the last forty years? Jonathan Kozol has called it “Savage Inequalities” as he has observed in the poorer school districts of our more important cities. He has eloquently described the educational system and what is lacking. It is appalling. According to the census data compiled by Kids Count, in Louisiana, twenty eight percent of people under the age of 18 live in poverty. Mississippi statistics report 30 percent and New Mexico falls in the third place with twenty six percent of this age group living in poverty. This is appalling.

Dr. King spoke of the “triple evils of poverty, racism, and violence” and forty years later as his son calls for us to reflect on these three evils, we have more prisons than ever to house our violent criminals. We are bombarded by violence everywhere from the children’s cartoons to television and movies. And, forty years later, yes, racism is still alive. Should we be concerned about the time that has elapsed?