Unboxing King
My Childhood memories of the days honoring Martin Luther King remind me of a ceremonial unboxing. As the day approached, it was as if the world took the box that was locked away in a closet or distant shelf, Blow the dust off and take out the familiar phrases and most often used photos of Dr King. We would hear familiar soundbites and videos that would make it seem that the only speech he gave was “I Have A Dream”
Then after the weekend celebration was over and done, the items would be put back into the box for Dr King. Then the world would wait a full year and do the same thing.
Unboxing King
My Childhood memories of the days honoring Dr King also remind me of a radical unboxing.
My mother always commemorated his birth as a holiday in our home… long before it was legally enacted. On that day we would go to a play, concert, museum, parade or gathering where we would learn and honor the life of Dr. King.
The next day I would return to school a note from my mother, which she would close by saying, “Yes, I realize that this is not recognized as an official holiday, but it should be. And until it is, it will be recognized as one in my home. Sincerely, Mrs. Spencer”
Grateful that she unboxed King by removing him from the narrow confines of how the world defined him. My parents told me about going to hear him speak at the Los Angeles Coliseum. They told me that he was honored now, but wasn’t revered in the same way during his life. We read Letter from Birmingham Jail and listened to his sermon, “Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence” that was delivered on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination. The brilliance and timeliness of that sermon still apply to 2023 … just change a few countries and names. They reminded me that speaking truth to power is courageous and not a popular thing to do. The same King who had a dream was the same King who told America to be true to what it said on paper. He is the King who called out those in economic and political power.
“The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.”
People hail him as a peacemaker , however, peacemaking is not passive. Peacemakers are disrupters. Dr. King was a disrupter. I think of Lori Hetteren’s quote on peace
“You keep pairing me with quiet, Peace said. “but my true companion is the mighty clamor of chains being ripped clean from the wall.”
We honor King when we read the entire context of his quotes. Unboxing King means removing the narrow confines of how we define him. One of my favorite quotes is when he addresses the Church. He reminds us that we come from heritage and legacy of Holy Disturbers of the Peace.
Rev. Bernice King shares wisdom on how we can continue to Unbox King “Please don’t try to make my father’s dream about false peace., where we live with injustice and inhumanity as long as we’re “civil”. He was a drum major for justice, which is a part of true peace.” Please take the time to listen to an excerpt from an interview where she shares how we can truly honor the legacy of her father and the reality of how he was received during his life.
Thank you Doris Spencer for UnBoxing Dr King for me and reminded me that he was never in a box in the first place. I continue to read , study and honor his legacy. What is the best way to honor him. I find it in the words of his daughter,
“The most authentic way to honor my father is to commit to the work of creating a more peaceful, just, humane world. Let quotes coincide with conscious efforts to eradicate poverty, militarism and racism …'“
Unboxing King …. Will you make it a ceremonial or a radical thing?
Dr. King was a peacemaker and that’s true. But peacemakers are called to disturb and disrupt the peace, too.
Thankful for the Unboxing,
Sheila P Spencer
Listen to the brief (less than four minutes) interview that includes Bernice King sharing about the true legacy of her father.
Rev. Bernice King shares how her father’s words have been misquoted. Listen to her insight on who hes was and how we can honor and unbox Dr King.