Martin Luther King, Jr. An Example of Great Leadership

Today, January 16, 2012, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. I've written here about leadership and the qualities that we find in great leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great leader and we should really reflect on that leadership.

I was a young college student when demonstrations for voter registration were going on in Selma, Alabama. The ensuing violence by police against protesters caused me to travel to Selma to join and support people who were demonstrating for one of the most basic rights in a democracy, the right to vote. In that brief moment in history, I was able to watch Martin Luther King, Jr. in action. I didn't know what I know now. I didn't understand very much about leadership or how you got things done even when you were frightened or when you were mad as hell. I only saw him briefly in the time that I was there because he was shuttling back and forth between Selma and Montgomery negotiating with state and federal officials about court orders and bans on marching. He was busy strategizing and making sure that whatever happened, happened well and sent the right message. He was meeting with young people from the Student Non Violent Coordinating Council and trying to hold together the coalition of radical young people and the more traditional or moderate older generation at the time. He was also dealing with three murders of people supporting the demonstrations at the time. None of these were easy tasks and as I and others have had the benefit of time and history to review his actions, his conversations and his dreams, it has become much clearer what a true leader he was.

King had his doubts throughout his time as a leader. He wondered, why me? He may have even hoped for someone else. But he had too many gifts. First and foremost he was a great orator. He knew words and understood their power. But it wasn't just the words. Oh no, it was the delivery. It was the passion and the emotion of words like these - "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

There was always a call to arms. Non violent arms to be sure because Dr. King understood and embraced non violence. But he evolved in this area too. Vietnam was one of his biggest challenges. To speak out or not. He feared tying the civil rights movement to the anti war movement but he knew and understood that it was inevitable and he spoke eloquently about the harm the war was doing to both countries - Vietnam and the United States.

Interestingly, his leadership was sought out. People, groups, politicians and movements looked to Dr. King as a voice. Great leaders should expect to be sought out. They should also expect to struggle with decisions about how involved they should be or become in this cause or that.

We can all continue to learn a lot from Martin Luther King, Jr. Young and old should study his words and review his actions. His memory along with so many others needs to be brought forward and celebrated. What do we have after all, if our memory is lost?

So I end with this quote from Dr, King - "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable....Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle: the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."