Ferguson and Baltimore according to Dr. King: How Competing Interpretations of King’s Legacy Frame the Public Discourse on Black Lives Matter

Police and protesters clashed in the aftermath of fatal police violence against unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland. Commentators on all sides of the public discourse about these events invoked the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. to ground their opinions of the violent encounters as well as the public protests and protest movements that ensued in response. I explore the competing invocations, reflecting on what about King captures the American public imagination, what gets omitted, and what is at stake in the debate. Finally, I examine how King’s theological ethics can both inform the means of public protest and address the abuses of American state power.