Misremembering Dr. King: Revisiting the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

3: Why It Matters

70 Martin Luther King Jr. was truly a prophetic voice. He warned us about a number of forces that, if left unchecked, lead to an increasingly unjust and unstable world. We have chosen not to heed his messages and find ourselves in a state of growing crisis on a number of fronts, all of which have their origins in systems of injustice. History would suggest that, at some point, systems based on extreme injustice collapse. But whether the current system can survive is not really the question we should be asking ourselves. Rather, it is whether we want it to survive, if this is the kind of world we want to live in. If not, it is up to us to change it. The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States was seen as the hallmark of a new era, evidence that we had made significant progress in realizing Dr. King’s dream. Symbolically, this may have been true; however, our tendency to focus on the achievements of individuals obscures the workings of the larger system. We like to celebrate uplifting stories of people who have triumphed over difficult odds, reinforcing the idea that it is a question of individual effort. We tout multiculturalism and diversity, without asking why such approaches are necessary in the first place. We ignore the workings of the institutions that perpetuate a system that has the effect of marginalizing large portions of the population. Electing an African American president was certainly a milestone, but it has not significantly altered the institutions and values that characterize the United States. 3 Why It Matters S Why It Matters 71 Clearly, I believe that we should be paying attention to Dr. King’s prescriptions. But who should be paying attention? The short answer is that all of us should—everyone. That said, I think there is a special and particularly urgent role for white people—particularly those of us who have most benefited from the system. The societal racism Dr. King fought against remains central to the crises our society is confronting in the early twenty-first century. whose ProbleM? white aMeriCa’s sPeCial resPonsibility A good many observers have remarked that if equality could come at once the Negro would not be ready for it. I submit that the White American is even more unprepared. Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go from Here? The issues Dr. King talked about obviously concern all Americans. However , different people are concerned in different ways; a bank president (probably white) will be differently implicated than will a young man in jailondrugcharges(probablyblack).Asinglemothertryingtomakeends meet working two jobs has a different relationship to Dr. King’s message than a married woman with a professional degree. We all have our role to play in creating the kind of society Dr. King envisioned. When it comes to racism, however, white people have a special role to play. Dr. King’s wordsaboutwhitepeopleremainasrelevanttodayaswhenhewrotethem forty-five years ago. Dr. King was clear that both the barriers to racial justice and the hope for overcoming them lie with white people of good faith. “[A] sound resolutionoftheraceprobleminAmericawillrestwithwhitemenandwomen who consider themselves as generous and decent human beings.”1 He was deeply disappointed that so many of this group, which he referred to as “whiteliberals,”hadlosttheirenergywhenitbecameclearthatcontinuing the struggle would entail disturbing their “tranquility” and sense of “order ,” and when it posed threats to their financial and cultural advantages. He noted the tendency to assume that racism and white supremacy exist 72 Misremembering Dr. King only among the “unlettered, underprivileged and poorer class whites,”2 when it was the acquiescence of the silent majority that allowed, and continues to allow, the existence and growth of blatant racial injustice. This is not to discount the impressive work of many whites in the cause of racial justice. There are countless groups of white people around the country working together and with people of color to educate themselves and their peers and to challenge racist practices and policies. Still, their numbers pale as a proportion of the white population. It is still true that most of us are turning a blind eye to the racism that permeates our lives and all of our institutions. It is not, finally, the “rednecks” and “crackers” thataredrivingthis;itisthoseofuswhohavebeensocializednottonotice and not to speak out, hoping that racism will go away if we are just “nice to everyone.” As Dr. King noted, “Even in...