We all want the same things. We all want to be treated with dignity. We all want justice.
I believe that’s all Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to tell us before he was assassinated on this date, 50 years ago, April 4, 1968.
But make no mistake about it because King tried to tell us how much we had in common, he was considered a radical. A rabble rouser.
History, though, as it should have been, has been kind to King. He’s no longer seen as the radical, the rabble rouser as he was by many while he was shaking things up during a turbulent time. He’s now just seen as a great man, a great human being.
More than 60 years ago, Rosa Parks finally reached her breaking point. I’m sure after another long day, she finally decided I’m not going to move for this white man to the back of the bus like I’ve done so many times.
Like Parks, many other African-Americans and King who led the bus boycott after Parks refused to move had been pushed to their limit.
I’m sure there were many at the time who thought why are all these people making such a big deal over such a trivial thing? Over a seat on a bus? Because they wanted to be treated with dignity.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all been pushed to the breaking point. And at that point all we want — all we’ve ever wanted — is to be treated with dignity.
That’s all King wanted. To be treated with dignity. For all of us to be treated with dignity.
Yes, history has been kind to King, and rightfully so, because he has been judged for the content of his character.
Thanks to people like King we still for the most part believe substance is more important than style. When it came to King, his style was his substance.
— Charles Whisnand
