The Legacy of a Revolutionary | by Celete Kato
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
Every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, quotes from this profound and prolific writer are splashed across headlines and social media. Dr. King’s words are important and inspiring, but the true importance of celebrating his legacy goes far beyond quotable moments taken out of historical context.
Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
Born in 1929 in Atlanta, GA, Martin Luther King Jr.’s early life was punctuated by the backdrop of the Great Depression and life in the American South during Jim Crow segregation. While his father was a well-respected pastor who shielded the family from extreme poverty, King’s proximity to injustice and personal experiences with racism instilled a deep sympathy and passion for civil rights at a young age.
King excelled in school as an excellent orator with a brilliant mind. He entered Morehouse College at age 15. During this time, King concluded that like his father and grandfather, he would pursue a career in ministry. By 1955, at just 25 years old, King had completed college, and seminary, where he was valedictorian and student body president; in addition to earning his Ph.D. from Boston University. While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott and they married in 1953. They settled in Montgomery, Alabama until 1959 when he returned to Atlanta and served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church until his death.
Dr. King’s Christian beliefs and the inspiration he drew from the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi led him toward a nonviolent approach to equality for African-Americans in the United States. Dr. King rose to prominence as a key member of the civil rights movement through his leadership and actions in several key movements.
Among many other achievements, Dr. King,
- was recruited to serve as spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955,
- was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. The SCLC is an organization created to harness the power of black churches for nonviolent protests and civil rights reform,
- led numerous civil rights groups in nonviolent civil disobedience throughout Birmingham, Alabama during the early 1960s when it was “the most segregated city in America”,
- was a key part of the “March on Washington” in 1963, delivering his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and being named Time’s “Man of the Year”,
- became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35,
- played a key role in Congress passing the landmark Civil Rights Act in 1964, intended to eliminate legalized racial segregation in the US.
After the Civil Rights Act was passed, Dr. King shifted his focus toward economic justice, speaking out against the Vietnam War, championing international peace, and much more.
On March 29, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated on the second-floor balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee where he was set to attend a strike for Black sanitary public works employees. Dr. King dedicated his life to advancing opportunities, equality, and justice for African-Americans and his legacy lives on.
Carrying on Dr. King’s Legacy
We now laud Dr. King as a visionary, but while he was doing this work, he was an incredibly divisive figure. During the last Gallup poll taken in 1966 before his death, 63% of Americans found him unfavorable and a Harris Poll found that 50% of White Americans felt he was hurting the Civil Rights effort. Yet that same year, 84% of Black adults had a favorable view of him2. As we remember his legacy and the progress he made in the name of civil rights, it’s important to also remind ourselves of the adversity he faced while doing this work.
After her husband’s death, Coretta Scott King took the helm of the movement that had been the cornerstone of their family’s life. Eventually, Coretta broadened the focus to include women’s and LGBTQ rights, economic issues, world peace, and much more. She created The King Center in 1968, which continues to pursue nonviolent movements toward justice, equity, and peace. It is thanks to Coretta Scott King that Martin Luther King Jr. Day was made a federal holiday that has been celebrated in all 50 states since 2000.
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day
In honor of Dr. King's work and legacy, MLK Jr. Day was federally recognized as “MLK Day of Service”. A day that sees coordinated volunteer efforts across the country to move citizens to action, just like Dr. King himself. Amidst speeches and marches, parades and sermons, MLK Jr. Day is an opportunity to engage with your community and give back in a way that feels meaningful to you.
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023, I invite you to spend some time reading about the King family and their collective efforts for civil rights and do a quick Google search of volunteer opportunities in your community. Excuse my shameless plug, but one suggestion is to give back to our apprentice community through the Multiverse Mentoring program!
1 https://thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/martin-luther-king-jr/
2 https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/17/politics/mlk-polling-analysis/index.html
Celete Kato is a Senior Community Associate based in the NY Office of Multiverse.
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