Remembering A Civil Rights Hero

By: Rian Bevan

Today we celebrate a federal holiday that honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was assassinated April 4th, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. At just 39 years old, King left behind a legacy and a generation of change. We celebrate not just King’s speeches and movements but his strong morals that brought people together in times of great division. Today is not just a day to skip class but to remember who MLK was and carry it forward.  

A message from MLK: “We can all get more together than we can apart. And this is the way we gain power. Power is the ability to achieve purpose, power is the ability to affect change, and we need power. And I want you to stick it out so that you will be able to make Mayor Loeb and others say "Yes," even when they want to say "No. Now the other thing is that nothing is gained without pressure. Don't let anybody tell you to go back on the job and paternalistically say, "Now you are my men and I'm going to do the right thing for you. Just come back to the job." Don't go back on the job until the demands are met. Never forget that freedom is not something that is voluntarily given by the oppressor. It is something that must be demanded by the oppressed. Freedom is not some lavish dish that the power structure and the white forces in policy-making positions will voluntarily hand out on a silver platter while the Negro merely furnishes the appetite. If we are going to get equality, if we are going to get adequate wages, we are going to have to struggle for it . . . “ 

Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., pictured in 1964. Photo credits to the Nobel Foundation.

His strong morals to not wait for justice, but to fight for it drove him to help so many Americans, then and now. Not only did he help lead sweeping changes in desegregation, but his speeches and influence on many other social movements against discrimination and against poverty are also incredibly important. Though he is often characterized as a nonviolent and respected figure who created the civil rights movement in the 1960s, creating change, this is not the full story. In fact, MLK had increasingly radical views, wanting everyone to have the same rights, even if it meant systematically changing systems like capitalism, segregation, etc. While he was alive, and for years after his death, this actually got him a lot of hate and pushback. 

One of the social movements he helped charge was the Poor People’s Campaign, which helped organize a march on Washington in 1968. They marched, organized, and camped out in tents in Washington, D.C. and King led the fight for the rights of the people. He did not work alone but rallied people with his speeches to make a change and take nonviolent steps to do so, if those who protest are nonviolent, meaning that you put yourself in the way of harm as a way to get justice for oneself, others, and generations.  

MLK’s influence within the civil rights movement cannot be overstated; his leadership and staying true to nonviolent protests and actions helped so many in disenfranchised positions. MLK proved that people can mobilize and create change not only local levels, but also federal levels as well. This was truly a big step and impact on the civil rights movement, as it showed the people we can come together and make changes. In a few aspects they achieved success in that this march and their campaigns led to (put in place a few months after Resurrection City closed) supplementary food programs for women and children in America and nationwide, King pushed government to put more money towards feeding school children, helped create daycare and early schooling programs, as well as reinvigorating employment options through summer job programs.