Books by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. /  Strength to Love / The Measure of a Man /  Why We Can't Wait

A Testament of Hope  /  A Knock at Midnight   /  The Papers of  Martin Luther King, Jr., 1948-1963

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community /  Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story

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What Martin Luther King Means To Me

By Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom we commemorate and honor in a special way this month, earned his place in the history of this nation through his exercise of moral leadership.

Clearly, Dr. King was a prophet. He accepted the prophetic vocation and he paid the prophet's price--his life for the people. He sought to do in our day and for our nation what the Biblical prophets did in theirs, namely, to assess the quality of our relationship to God by testing the character of justice in our social dealings.

Dr. King took the measure of justice in American society in specific terms--employment and fair wages; equity and social welfare; voting rights and political power--and found it wanting. He knew what we have yet to learn fully as a nation: that a stable peace within each nation and among all nations cannot exist apart from the claims of justice. it was this vision that shaped his dream for America and the world, and his legacy call us to bring this vision to fulfillment.

By the time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, he spoke for the poor and dispossessed of this nation, and he was a symbol of justice and peace in the world. his perspective and his personal witness transcend race, nation, and historical period.. May the national holidays we will observe in the future motivate us to complete the work he began.

Source: Ebony, January, 1986

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