What Would 

Martin Luther King Jr. Say and Do?

By Junious Ricardo Stanton 

"On some positions, cowardice asks the question, 'is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'is it popular?' But conscious asks the question 'is it right?' And then comes a time when a true follower of Jesus Christ must take a stand that's neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must take that stand because it is right." - Martin Luther King Jr.

As we celebrate the birthday and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. let us pause and make the connection between what he stood for, what he dedicated his life to and resolving if what he stood for and dedicated his life for is worth celebrating, shouldn't we do likewise. If not then we might as well stop saying we are honoring him, his life and legacy and shut up. The monopoly media likes to bombard us with the sound byte of Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream" speech, the part where he talks about all men living together, but they conveniently ignore the earlier part where he talks about AmeriKKKa's promissory note, the note of justice, and equal treatment under the law, that came back marked "insufficient funds." 

They never play his speeches that oppose the Viet Nam War, why is that? If they don't and we know that his opposition to violence and war are what made him stand out in bold contrast to his contemporaries in the clergy, men like Billy Graham who supported Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon's war in Southeast Asia, or Norman Vincent Peale who never once spoke out against racial oppression, why don't we acknowledge these virtues that made King a hero, especially at a time when AmeriKKKa has morphed into the planet's biggest bully, picking on the weak,  bogarding the lunch money of the lame and infirm of the world. 

What would Martin Luther King Jr. say to George W. Bush about publicly calling for regime change in Iraq after stealing the election of 2000 in AmeriKKKa? What would King say to the cowardly and immoral U.S. Congress about their limp and non-existent opposition to the concept of pre-emptive strikes and use of nuclear weapons? At the time of his assassination King was rumbling on several fronts, supporting the sanitation workers in Memphis and planning the Poor People's Campaign in Washington D.C. to call attention to the quantum gap between the have's and have nots and how the War in Viet Nam was contributing to this gap.

At least in 1968 there was a sizable anti-war movement in the U.S. and King's joining that movement caused the ruling elites great chagrin. His Poor People's Campaign with its emphasis on wealth disparities and policies that perpetuated those inequities while the Military-Industrial Complex was growing richer every day and the attention he focused on AmeriKKKa's immoral war in Southeast Asia is what prompted the powers that be to order his assassination. 

But let us project what we know about King and imagine he was still alive with us now, what would he say and do? I believe he would oppose Bush administration's fascist agenda. I believe he would be calling for rallies, marches, boycotts and massive civil disobedience to call attention to AmeriKKKa's wickedness and galvanize the grass roots to action. I believe Martin Luther King Jr. would denounce the masses' induced passivity and acquiescence in the face of fascism and warmongering. King liked to quote the Biblical prophet Isaiah who spoke of truth, justice and righteousness.

King was not an Afrocentric theologian but I believe if he lived he would have looked at and rethought African history, how the ancient Hebrews were influenced by Kemet and Ethiopia and be forced to acknowledge the righteousness Isaiah talked about was inherent in the culture of Africa. King might have realized that Maat (Divine Order, Balance, Harmony, Truth, Justice, Righteousness and Reciprocity) was the moral/ethical model for Hebrew prophecy and called upon this ancient African moral and ethical building block to rally against the forces of Isfet (Disorder, deceit, chaos, disharmony and war).

As we prepare to celebrate the life and sacrifices of this man, we must do some serious introspection and ask ourselves not only what would Martin say or do, where would he stand on the great issues of today, but more importantly where do I/we stand? Are we trying to be safe popular, expedient or are we committed to doing the right thing?  We must look at the world and determine how we can alter AmeriKKKa's descent into the moral abyss of fascist imperialism?

POSITIVELY BLACK (1/07/03)