could have come apart. The violence could have spread. The leader of non-violent social change in America had met a violent end. America, in my view,
was on the precipice of further violent confrontations and perhaps an urban civil war.
And so, it was the words of Dr. King and his example that were grabbed onto by White America, as well as Black America, to epitomize how things
ought to be. The violence spreading across America was not what was desired. Dr. King's image in a very purified form was cast as a cultural icon. Dr. King
and his "I Have a Dream" speech were cast in the light of what we wanted America to be. We weren't meant to dwell on the America that existed in the
reality of that place and time. Dr. King was almost anointed as a saint to keep our minds on non-violence and not the violence that too many Black
Americans suffered in those times. Dr. King became a cultural icon that people subsequently fought over how it ought to be cast. I have been a party to
discussions in which the portrayal of Dr. King was almost as an agnostic, almost denying his Baptist preacher background. Dr. King became a cultural icon
that people would fashion and manipulate according to their own political agenda. In many ways, Dr. King became a "god" that people fashioned in their
own image.
Now, during the past decade or so, perhaps because we have -- on some levels, certainly politically -- taken a few steps away from that precipice and
African Americans have made some gains and a larger African American middle class has formed -- our society has been able to take a peak at the historical
figure, the real flesh and blood Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Now some people perhaps become disillusioned -- as J. Edgar Hoover wanted them to do so many years ago -- when they find out that Dr. King had
affairs and that he was imperfect in so many human ways. As cracks begin to appear in the cultural icon as the sifting and winnowing of history begins to
show Dr. King, the man, some may no longer believe because their belief was shallow.
But I have to admit that my admiration of Dr. King has risen over the years as I have begun to understand Dr. King, the man, even more. I can
appreciate the sense of humor that he had and the love for his children although he didn't provide for their futures like most middle class parents do today.
I can appreciate the extreme pressures he was under. I can appreciate how he had to cope with the humanity of all of the people who surrounded him.
As I watched "Citizen King" as it showed Dr. King receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and announcing that the $155,000 prize would be distributed to civil
rights groups, I could almost imagine what Coretta was thinking as she sat smiling by his side. I could almost imagine she thinking "But what about the
children's college fund and they need new shoes and what about the bills?"
And it is that sense of humanity, that I can also appreciate the aftermath of Dr. King's legacy. When Dr. King was assassinated, he left Coretta with
four young children to raise and no savings. They were one paycheck away from poverty. Coretta has been criticized in the past for seemingly "profiting"
from Dr. King's legacy. Well, I guess I can appreciate what this mother of four was thinking and feeling and almost every mother in America would react --
would be expected to react -- in the same way: for the welfare of her children. On some levels, the legacy of Dr. King was the only inheritance that Dr.
King left his family.
Indeed, what makes me truly admire Dr. King and others involved in the civil rights movement is that in spite of their humanity and their real human
needs and desires, they did aspire to more lofty goals and in some cases met those goals while falling short with others. Dr. King rose above his humanity
-- and the others rose above their humanity as well -- to lead us onto the path of the Promised Land. Who amongst us has risen above his/her own
humanity to lead us to the Promised Land? The older I get, the more I admire Dr. King for he truly was -- and is -- a man for the ages.
was on the precipice of further violent confrontations and perhaps an urban civil war.
And so, it was the words of Dr. King and his example that were grabbed onto by White America, as well as Black America, to epitomize how things
ought to be. The violence spreading across America was not what was desired. Dr. King's image in a very purified form was cast as a cultural icon. Dr. King
and his "I Have a Dream" speech were cast in the light of what we wanted America to be. We weren't meant to dwell on the America that existed in the
reality of that place and time. Dr. King was almost anointed as a saint to keep our minds on non-violence and not the violence that too many Black
Americans suffered in those times. Dr. King became a cultural icon that people subsequently fought over how it ought to be cast. I have been a party to
discussions in which the portrayal of Dr. King was almost as an agnostic, almost denying his Baptist preacher background. Dr. King became a cultural icon
that people would fashion and manipulate according to their own political agenda. In many ways, Dr. King became a "god" that people fashioned in their
own image.
Now, during the past decade or so, perhaps because we have -- on some levels, certainly politically -- taken a few steps away from that precipice and
African Americans have made some gains and a larger African American middle class has formed -- our society has been able to take a peak at the historical
figure, the real flesh and blood Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Now some people perhaps become disillusioned -- as J. Edgar Hoover wanted them to do so many years ago -- when they find out that Dr. King had
affairs and that he was imperfect in so many human ways. As cracks begin to appear in the cultural icon as the sifting and winnowing of history begins to
show Dr. King, the man, some may no longer believe because their belief was shallow.
But I have to admit that my admiration of Dr. King has risen over the years as I have begun to understand Dr. King, the man, even more. I can
appreciate the sense of humor that he had and the love for his children although he didn't provide for their futures like most middle class parents do today.
I can appreciate the extreme pressures he was under. I can appreciate how he had to cope with the humanity of all of the people who surrounded him.
As I watched "Citizen King" as it showed Dr. King receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and announcing that the $155,000 prize would be distributed to civil
rights groups, I could almost imagine what Coretta was thinking as she sat smiling by his side. I could almost imagine she thinking "But what about the
children's college fund and they need new shoes and what about the bills?"
And it is that sense of humanity, that I can also appreciate the aftermath of Dr. King's legacy. When Dr. King was assassinated, he left Coretta with
four young children to raise and no savings. They were one paycheck away from poverty. Coretta has been criticized in the past for seemingly "profiting"
from Dr. King's legacy. Well, I guess I can appreciate what this mother of four was thinking and feeling and almost every mother in America would react --
would be expected to react -- in the same way: for the welfare of her children. On some levels, the legacy of Dr. King was the only inheritance that Dr.
King left his family.
Indeed, what makes me truly admire Dr. King and others involved in the civil rights movement is that in spite of their humanity and their real human
needs and desires, they did aspire to more lofty goals and in some cases met those goals while falling short with others. Dr. King rose above his humanity
-- and the others rose above their humanity as well -- to lead us onto the path of the Promised Land. Who amongst us has risen above his/her own
humanity to lead us to the Promised Land? The older I get, the more I admire Dr. King for he truly was -- and is -- a man for the ages.
Author's Note: I hope everyone is well, as the flu bug seems to be sweeping the town. I caught it around the New Year and I am
just now beginning to feel 90% well.
***
Last Sunday night (Jan. 15), as I began to channel surf through the banality of commercial television -- I'm never at home enough
to warrant subscribing to cable TV -- I came upon the program "Citizen King" on PBS. For the next two hours, I sat enthralled
as I watched this realistic portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.
Interspersed with film showing the public and private sides of Dr. King's life were interviews with notable civil rights
figures, including many who had been SCLC staff members like Andrew Young and Walter Fauntroy. Notably missing were
Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr., Coretta Scott King, and the King children.
Too often, we have put Dr. King on a pedestal, almost deifying the man. And when we place people on a pedestal, the only
direction to go from there is down. While it seems that the 1980s and 1990s were spent creating the myth of Dr. King, the
media these days -- both in a constructive and a destructive manner -- have been humanizing Dr. King, allowing his flaws and
humanity to shine through. This historical process -- it happens with most great historical figures such as John F. Kennedy --
sifts and winnows through the facts and the myths to determine exactly what happened back then and how great the person
really was. The remembrances of Dr. King fall into two categories for me, as cultural icon and as historical figure. Cultural icons
are mere images, mass media mirages that epitomize a value, a desire, a fear, or a hatred that is shared by a great body of people.
In the popular culture today, we have cultural icons as diverse as hip-hop artists to political figures to athletes. The images of
these people speak to the things that we want for ourselves, of how we hope our lives will turn out, or even what we think our
society should be.
Cultural icons are not reality; they are an illusion, a dream so to speak. And so, therefore, people who believe they are
reality are oftentimes disappointed or become disillusioned when these cultural icons are found out to have been hooked on
drugs, beaten their wives, stolen from someone, cheated on their spouse, or many other negative -- but human -- outcomes that
befall all too many people. And these people -- the actual human beings -- immediately fall from favor as their cultural icon
images are shattered with one small blow.
I think Dr. King was almost instantaneously turned into a cultural icon when he was assassinated in April 1968, forged in
the fires that ravaged many urban areas in the aftermath as many African Americans -- certainly not all -- expressed their grief
and anger, ironically, through violent actions. America -- particularly Black America -- was at a crossroads that day. Everything
just now beginning to feel 90% well.
***
Last Sunday night (Jan. 15), as I began to channel surf through the banality of commercial television -- I'm never at home enough
to warrant subscribing to cable TV -- I came upon the program "Citizen King" on PBS. For the next two hours, I sat enthralled
as I watched this realistic portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.
Interspersed with film showing the public and private sides of Dr. King's life were interviews with notable civil rights
figures, including many who had been SCLC staff members like Andrew Young and Walter Fauntroy. Notably missing were
Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr., Coretta Scott King, and the King children.
Too often, we have put Dr. King on a pedestal, almost deifying the man. And when we place people on a pedestal, the only
direction to go from there is down. While it seems that the 1980s and 1990s were spent creating the myth of Dr. King, the
media these days -- both in a constructive and a destructive manner -- have been humanizing Dr. King, allowing his flaws and
humanity to shine through. This historical process -- it happens with most great historical figures such as John F. Kennedy --
sifts and winnows through the facts and the myths to determine exactly what happened back then and how great the person
really was. The remembrances of Dr. King fall into two categories for me, as cultural icon and as historical figure. Cultural icons
are mere images, mass media mirages that epitomize a value, a desire, a fear, or a hatred that is shared by a great body of people.
In the popular culture today, we have cultural icons as diverse as hip-hop artists to political figures to athletes. The images of
these people speak to the things that we want for ourselves, of how we hope our lives will turn out, or even what we think our
society should be.
Cultural icons are not reality; they are an illusion, a dream so to speak. And so, therefore, people who believe they are
reality are oftentimes disappointed or become disillusioned when these cultural icons are found out to have been hooked on
drugs, beaten their wives, stolen from someone, cheated on their spouse, or many other negative -- but human -- outcomes that
befall all too many people. And these people -- the actual human beings -- immediately fall from favor as their cultural icon
images are shattered with one small blow.
I think Dr. King was almost instantaneously turned into a cultural icon when he was assassinated in April 1968, forged in
the fires that ravaged many urban areas in the aftermath as many African Americans -- certainly not all -- expressed their grief
and anger, ironically, through violent actions. America -- particularly Black America -- was at a crossroads that day. Everything
| This original photo was taken by Jonathan Gramling in Washington, D.C. in August 2003 on a personal visit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The boy was sitting on the exact spot where Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech." |
| Reflections Archives |