Celebrating MLK's Birthday Shouldn't Be Easy

Martin Luther King, Jr was a preacher, an organizer, a radical and a troublemaker. He was also a teacher, a husband and a father. He became a leader and like many before him, he didn't ask for that leadership role. It was thrust upon him by the times he lived in, by those who needed him and in the end by his conscience. Today, many find it easy to sing his praises, to raise him as a hero and to quote his many words of love and nonviolence.

How real is the praise? Some of it is and some of it isn't. Some of it comes from people who have no real sense of who he was, what he believed in and fought for or the positions he took. There is no better time than the celebration of his birthday to think hard about this man, his work and his message. Yes, a reality check is in order every once in awhile.

We should remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. was not loved for his actions or beliefs by the vast majority of Americans in all parts of the country during his life. He was viewed as a troublemaker, an outsider, a communist and as someone who just didn't know his place. He wasn't well liked by politicians or the media. Even liberals and progressives argued and questioned his motives and actions. We should remember and reflect on why he had to write that letter from a Birmingham Jail. Yes, why did he have to shake the conscience of fellow preachers and clergy to think about and speak up about injustice that stared them in the face each day?

Dr. King encouraged nonviolent confrontation that led to hundreds of people being beaten, water hosed and jailed. He spoke out about the power structure of white society and the unfair economic system that placed millions in constant poverty. He spoke out about the immorality of nuclear arms.
After being influenced by many young people and his own reflections, he spoke out against the war in Vietnam. He wouldn't have supported our current wars, our drones or our weapons of mass destruction. He wouldn't have supported the privilege of a few over the 99%.

Here are some reflections on the eve of his birthday. We need to remember, we are a country that separates families and places children in cells/cages. We are a country that suppresses the votes of people of color. We are a country where people need to worry about their homes and their healthcare.

No, if we look at his history, our history and our present, celebrating Dr. King's birthday shouldn't be easy at all.