OPINION: Keeping the spirit of King alive and well

The night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated many adults wept, even more were depressed, feeling not just leaderless but helpless and virtually hopeless. Over the next several weeks there were riots in the streets of many cities. King, their leader, had been cruelly taken away as had been Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and others.

Fifty-eight years later, we still suffer from that loss because King is no longer here in body. Nevertheless, we who are alive and well can keep his spirit alive and well. That spirit is not so much in the charisma of his personality and cadence of his speech. Those were important. The essence of his spirit, however, was his (1) concern about and compassion for the people who were poor, powerless, oppressed, marginalized, and discriminated against; (2) commitment and courage to speak up for, join in marches, and lead protests to help change the conditions faced by such victimized people; and (3) willingness to physically put his life on the line for the cause of the victimized people. That is the essence of the spirit of King. His speech and personality were instrumentalities for its dispensation. 

The distinction is important because in reality, King is gone and his physical traits cannot and need not be duplicated. On the other hand, individuals now and in the future can replicate his spirit through their actions, thereby reviving the spirit and carrying on the work of King and those who were fighting the same fight.

King did not have to be so concerned and compassionate about the plight of the less fortunate people in society. Like many others, including Black and white ministers, he could have ignored or shied away from the plight of the less fortunate and kept drawing his salary. The kind of spirit that he had, however, would not let him rest. By the same token, we are saying that those who are alive today can adopt and act in that same spirit.

Even as he knew of and felt the conditions of the people, he could have counted the cost and decided to not take the risk. Many people then and now fail to display the moral courage to do the right thing when similarly confronted. Again, that spirit of King can be acted upon by people today rather than them just appreciating and missing the work that he did while he was on earth.

Even after hearing of their plight, King did not have to go to Memphis to assist the garbage workers, to Chicago to help with housing discrimination, to Selma and march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, or to Desoto County to help carry out James Meredith’s March against Fear. Yet, he went to them all in order to serve as an example and as a demonstration of his commitment. 

Individuals today can reveal their commitment to such struggles and to the spirit of King by going and doing likewise. Even when it is not possible to go to the places physically, one can sponsor other people who are willing to go. That, too, helps keep the spirit of King alive and well.

It is important to realize that causes like the Poor People’s Campaign, the movement against the neo-colonial exploitation of Africa, the movement to strengthen labor unions, and organizing to protect free speech and public education continue to exist and need support. The spirit of King, revived among us, can go a long way to help win these battles.

Organizing and marching can let the world know how much you care about your fellowman. Such organizing and marching never get too old nor lose their effectiveness. They are also meaningful ways to celebrate King and the spirit that he possessed.