Martin Luther King Jr. and His Legacy

By Michael Rose on January 20, 2017

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Both Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy were remembered in the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March. Over 5,000 citizens gathered to use their political voice and educate themselves. Students aided in running workshops and speakers presented ways to use their political voice. Many different ideas were espoused today, and leads to the question: is this the voice of MLK Jr. and his legacy, or is this what MLK Jr. and his legacy created?

One important factor is simply the area. Seattle developed itself into an environment able to protect many vulnerable parties: homeless persons to illegal immigrants. For example, City Councilmember Kshama Sawant fought for the city’s $15 an hour minimum wage. One of her values is the need for leadership, something King realized as he led the black community in the 1960s. His ideas were also controversial at the time. William Faulkner advised him to wait for white people to become accustomed to his ideas. King’s response was, “We can’t slow up because of our love for democracy and our love for America.”

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Many organizations shared their love of the democratic system and American people by coming together to try to find a solution or support this MLK Jr. Day, such as Veterans for Peace, Transit Ride Union, and the Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS). Over the years, Seattle organized this march to be a community gathering, allowing the ideas of their majorities and minorities to spread, an initial step in fostering democracy.

“The capitalist system hurts regular people,” said members of OWLS. At the same time, the socialist and immigration policies of Seattle are hurting the system, according to major political figures. On January 13, a bill, H.R. 514, was introduced, that would deny funding for Sanctuary Cities, or cities that have policies protecting illegal immigrants. Seattle is such a city and one that relies on the federal funds to provide for its Human Services Department and Transportation system. This potential law could put decision makers in a tough spot, one which King may have known.

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King called for a community effort.

“Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we all must protect.”

This is the cornerstone of any progress, fighting the underlying causes.

King wrote: “I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.”

While some students used MLK Jr. Day to push forward their political leader, others work to provide a safe place for the less fortunate. Near the University of Washington campus lies a young adult shelter, Roots, providing homeless students and young workers a shelter. Many of the working-class or student-based staff volunteers of their own free will, possibly the truest examples of King’s vision for America.

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From his Letter from Birmingham Jail, King wrote, “We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

Whether due to police shootings, increasing the national debt, or externalities of dollar diplomacy, the public makes waves. King predicted, “We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy.”

As a student of Northern Kentucky University noted, there seemed to be a change this Martin Luther King Jr. Day: it felt more like a rallying cry, a cry for change. Perhaps that change has begun. In Cincinnati, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center receives many visitors every January coming to learn about African-American history, including MLK Jr. and his legacy.

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