Monument, Idol, or Legacy: A Reflection on King

A 2016 longform piece on King, his legacy, and movements which produced him.

Now that he is safely dead let us praise him, build monuments to his glory,

sing hosannas to his name. Dead men make such convenient heroes.

They cannot rise to challenge the images we would fashion from their lives.

And besides,it is easier to build monuments than to make a better world.,”

— Carl Wendell

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,

“And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

“Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets…

“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify: and some of them shall ye scourge…and persecute from city to city.” — -Matthew 23:29–34

Dr. King was assassinated. But before this, he was denounced, hounded, spied upon, blackmailed, bombed, lied on, slandered, isolated, imprisoned, defamed, stabbed, cursed, boycotted, threatened, distorted and misunderstood.

Many attempts were made on his life before anyone got close enough to snatch the breath from his body. When he called for peace, his enemies made war and blamed him for the aftermath.

When he preached non-violence, others accused him of stirring up violence and speaking too forcefully, too frequently, too too…

Dr. King was assassinated because he told the truth and he was willing to endure the consequences of telling the truth. Apparently he loved the truth because it was the truth, not simply because of its unassailable utility against his enemies. He used a sword with two edges and it cut both ways; left and right, up and down, self and others.