Justice Bulletin Board

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;  upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone!” (Isaiah 9:2b)

The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 15 we celebrated the gift of Martin Luther King to our world.  The entire month of February is dedicated by our nation to remembering and celebrating the contributions of black Americans to U.S. history. Foremost among these many contributors is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led this nation in a radical conversion of heart, to acknowledge the sin of racism, and to begin the long and arduous journey of correcting centuries of injustice for black Americans.

Like Jesus, Dr. King was killed because he made the powerful uncomfortable. Some believe that Dr. King would be dismayed at being honored as a national hero on a pedestal, because it focuses us on his past achievements instead of on the future and the great work he was still pursuing.

Dr. King did not rest with the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement.  He frightened some of his own followers and alienated some of his supporters when he also spoke out fearlessly for peace and against the U.S. war in Vietnam:

“Never again will I be silent on an issue that is destroying the soul of our nation and destroying thousands and thousands of little children in Vietnam…. The time has come for a real prophecy, and I am willing to go that road.”

At the end of his life he was working tirelessly to improve the lot of all poor people in the “Poor People’s Campaign”. He was organizing a massive march to Washington and planned to camp out there with thousands until the nation changed its priorities from militarism to justice for its citizens:

“I am tired of hearing the work of poor people described as menial labor. What makes a job menial is that we don’t pay folk anything. Give somebody a job and pay them some money so they can live and educate their children and buy a home and have the basic necessities of life.

As we celebrate the memory and achievements of Dr. King, let us do so by rededicating ourselves to the goals for which he lived and died: Peace, Justice for all, especially for the poor, and Love for everyone, even our enemies. They are also those for which Jesus lived, died and rose again.

What can I do?

·         Consider joining in the Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HK on J) rally and march. The second annual HK on J is scheduled for Saturday, February 9, 2008.