Photo: Carl De Kayzer/Magnum Photos
First, a much overdue thank you note:
Dear Dr. King,
I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many obvious things… I get to sit wherever I want on the bus, drink from all the water fountains, I can vote. And while all of these things are rights that I believe are inalienable, we all know that they were hard won for people of color in this country. And you were right up front, leading the charge.
But what I really wanted to write about, and thank you for, is how you continue to inspire me to stand up to today’s oppression, even long after you departed this world. Your righteous anger and boundless love, your wise words and tireless energy, your fierceness… these are things that I carry with me. Even as I turn more toward women leaders as role models and mentors, and as I look to my right and left for inspiration and teachings from my sisters who form so much of the front lines in the current struggles, I still am uplifted by your eloquence. Your words, spoken a half century ago, continue to resonate today.
So thank you for mixing beauty and poetry with force and direct fierceness, for being a foundational part of my activism, for teaching me so much about the revolutionary power of love, and for being a part of my revolutionary universe.
With gratitude,
BW
And second, for those who want to take a deeper dive into the man, his life and his words, here are a few links of interest:
The New Yorker has a whole set of links to various articles they have published about Martin Luther King, Jr. All interesting and worth checking out.
From late 1957 through December of 1958, Dr King wrote an advice column for Ebony Magazine. Check out these selected letters from that year of “Advice For Living.”
Here’s an opinion piece in the New York Times about MLK’s critique of white northern liberalism. These words are perhaps even more relevant today than they were in the late 60′s.
It would be well worth your time to listen to Dr King read his Letter From A Birmingham Jail, which is arguaby his most important piece of writing. It explains so precisely the ethos behind the non-violent acts of civil disobediance and why they are so crucial in any fight for human rights.
And lastly, a piece about 5 young women who are currently fighting for education in the spirit of Dr. King.
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