This is the man on my mind today.
Aside from the fact that he was awesome in all the ways I admire and want to be, he had an amazing, AMAZING grasp on his public image.
Not perfect, not saintly. Had no concept of “self-care.” (In fact, can you imagine Martin tolerating a conversation about self-care?)
Intense, confrontational when necessary, did not hesitate to stand in the truth. Was not invested in being comfortable or keeping his people comfortable. Was invested in righteousness. Did not obsess over one issue but constantly identified and called out the way multiple societal evils are interrelated and intertwined.
Brave. Not self-preserving but faith-serving.
Martyred today, 45 years ago.
Never forget that he was a real man and one of our colleagues.
May his memory be eternal! Thank you for noting his day of martyrdom.
we were recently at friends’ for Shabbat dinner – their grandchildren (10 and twins 11) were visiting from Birmingham AL – somehow the topic of MLK came up – my husband told them about being at the Selma March and about being very near him during the “I have a dream” speech – and about finding out that his own mother, also a minister, had come down from NH to be there that day too – their eyes grew huge – and we realized the MLK is mythical to them – they all went home and wrote little essays about meeting a “man who had seen Dr King” – I agree “may his memory be eternal”
His writing and legacy both provide not only inspiration but also comfort and hope to many I know who fight on in so many of the struggles that he cared about, as well as other issues he never had a chance to hear about. Sometimes when things are tough we remind ourselves that there were those who marched with dignity in the face of police dogs, fire hoses, and a populace with murder in their hearts. In comparison, police that hit, shove, and arrest without cause don’t seem as hard to bear.