Beyond Race: 8 Other Important Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

By: Kevin Mathews

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will always be remembered for his leadership in the crusade for racial equality. And while that plight alone would be worthy of several holidays, the truth is that Dr. King’s calls for justice went well beyond skin color. Those who use MLK Day merely as an opportunity to pat themselves on the back for the racial progress this country has made are missing the larger picture. Yes, we have an African American president, but King’s work is still far from done. To honor King’s legacy today, let’s reflect on some of the less-remembered lessons he shared:

1. Realize That Laws Don’t Always Equal Justice

Time and time again, King saw how a country’s laws could be flat out wrong. He urged others to question the justice in laws and not blindly adhere to them just because the powers that be say it is so. “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all,’” King said in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”.

2. Question Capitalism

King spent a lot of time pondering the economic system. He acknowledged that there are no easy answers in his speech “Where Do We Go from Here?”: “Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social. And the kingdom of brotherhood is found [in] neither… but in a higher synthesis.” In a letter to his soon-to-be-wife, Coretta Scott, he wrote, “I am not so opposed to capitalism that I have failed to see its relative merits. It started out with a noble and high motive… but like most human system it [fell] victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today capitalism has outlived its usefulness. It has brought a system that takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes.” With wealth disparity only compounding today, it is still relevant to question capitalism and keeping searching for better solutions.

3. Do Not Affiliate with a Political Party

4. Vocally Oppose War

5. Support Unions

6. Foster Critical Thinking in Our Schools

7. Provide Free/Affordable Access to Health Care

8. Commit to Non-Violence

In his essay “The Power of Non-Violence,” King explained the struggle in convincing his allies to resist the urge to fight back against violent oppression. “It is not a method of stagnant passivity and deadening complacency… This method is nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive spiritually.” Though turning the other cheek takes restraint, King believed that the side that is seen to suffer for its cause is more easily viewed as righteous. He also knew that violence would not ultimately bring about positive change: “The aftermath of violence is bitterness. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of a beloved community.”

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Although the United States has certainly made major (but hardly complete) strides in overcoming racism since King’s time, most of the other justices he spoke out against are still as problematic as ever – if not more so. Let us commemorate today by remembering that Dr. Martin Luther King would not consider his campaign for change complete – and, therefore, neither should we.

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