While many people remember him for his famous “dream,” of a better nation discussed in his 1963 March on Washington Speech,” I couldn’t help but wonder, if in 2024, would the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. think beyond the dream? In a world with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, extreme hunger, poverty and violence in the U.S. and abroad, continued systemic racism, and economic and environmental injustice at play, might he stop sharing his idealized imaginations of a more equitable nation?
Would he declare that he wants us to stop dreaming, wake up, and pull down the comforter that warms this centuries-long nightmare of oppression – the fabric with which this country is sewn?
In 1965, more than a year and a half after his celebrated “I Have a Dream,” speech, King said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Not even two years after his address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, King is using a bit less flowery language than his often-quoted vision of “little Black boys and girls,” and “little white boys and girls,” walking hand in hand.
Even after having a Black U.S. president for eight years, there’s been an affront to justices for which King valiantly fought, such as voting rights and equal educational opportunities. Further, I question would King be OK with revoking women’s right to choose and stifling laws targeting the LGBTQ community? Would he turn a blind eye to the thousands who have died in Palestine?
The great orator and activist, who was quoted as saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” would certainly acknowledge the challenges in this nation and abroad.
King also famously said: “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” With such a stance, I think it’s safe to say that if King had lived to turn 95 in January 2024, he would have been anything but silent or detached from the issues.
When I learned the 2024 MLK Holiday DC theme, “Bending Towards Peace, Truth and Justice,” I offered a question to Washington Informer reporters and the community. “What would King do to bend toward peace, truth and justice?”
King had influence from pulpits nationwide, to local activists working to make a difference in their towns, and the White House. Considering this prompt, Informer reporters took to
the street to ask “WWKD? What would King do?”
With reflections from pastors, community activists, environmental justice fighters, students, and more, The Washington Informer 2024 supplement remembering King,
not only highlights the leader’s life and legacy, but promotes his passion for peace, truth and justice.
In a world where peace, truth and justice seem but a mere dream, I encourage you to consider, “What would King do to bend toward these goals?.” Then, don’t simply think or dream about it, wake up, take action and find ways you can contribute to the fight for true liberty and justice for all.