Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15th, 2010Filed under: Events, History
Martin Luther King Jr. with fellow ministers, c. 1963, by Declan Haun.
The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.
On Monday, January 18, 2010 many Americans will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. Undoubtedly, some will treat the holiday as a typical day away from the office while others will participate in one of the numerous community service projects taking place around the country. Some will attend one of the many events commemorating Dr. King’s life.
That day we will all hear and see excerpts from some of King’s famous speeches, most assuredly the one he delivered to hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August, 1963. Popularly referred to as the I Have a Dream speech, some of the speech’s phrases, such as “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” are among the most iconic in recent United States history.
The replay of a few phrases from the climax of Dr. King’s most famous speech once a year somehow doesn’t do justice to his work and the reasons we celebrate him on the third Monday in January. In the years prior to and especially following I Have a Dream, Rev. King made some of the most salient, significant, and breathtaking statements of the late 20th century about freedom, justice, equality, morality, and our responsibility to act humanely toward each other.
King’s words, quoted often in sermons, speeches, books, film, and even exhibitions seem to speak to some of our deepest concerns and highest aspirations as Americans (freedom rhetoric is a root of our national heritage) and as citizens of a larger global community. Along with his brilliant oratorical gift came a seemingly endless commitment to work for the cause of justice. Dr. King served in the trenches in Birmingham, Alabama, Albany, Georgia, Chicago, and Memphis, where he was assassinated in 1968.
Martin Luther King Jr. addressing the crowd at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., 1963, by Declan Haun.
This Monday marks the 24th national observance of Dr. King’s life. (The bill proposing the holiday was signed in to law in 1983 and first officially observed in 1986.) I will spend the day remembering Dr. King, one of my abiding heroes, his vision for a more just nation and his commitment to work and sacrifice for that vision. In remembering Dr. King, I find that there is a question that is never far behind: what have I done to live up to his rich legacy, to make his vision clearer and more accessible for others?
It is rare that a day off inspires you to work yet it seems appropriate in celebrating Reverend King, who stated that “…we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be coworkers with God.” Clearly, this is no ordinary holiday.
On Monday, January 18, the Museum will honor Dr. King’s life and legacy with a program of performance and family activities.
> Learn more about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration
> Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago
Tags: Civil Rights, Joy Bivins, March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
thank you for this exhibit. he was a man who walked his talk, against unbearable odds.