The cancellation of MLK

You may think the words of this title are harsh, and they are for an America rapidly disappearing. But I submit that the cancellation has already happened, so hear me out.

I work at staying informed by a variety of means in this period of existential crisis for the country I grew up in; it is incredibly discouraging. This week I’ve been following conversations in which learned academics are discussing the fallacies and distortions of the 1619 Project created by the New York Times. This unproven, widely challenged narrative has spread like wildfire into the curriculum of public schools nationwide without so much as a public airing. It is a startling policy departure from the norms of American History.

In one of the sessions, reference was made to Dr. Martin Luther King, perhaps the best known and most revered leader in America’s reformation in civil rights. I realized that while I’ve always been moved by the brief video clips from his “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, I had never actually read the entire speech.

So I looked it up and read it all, and I shall do it over and over in the next few days. I was stunned by the majesty of his words, the human dignity, the eloquence and the glorious way in which he expounded on why and how “black lives must matter” if the American dream is to fulfill its glorious promise. I implore you to read it too in its entirety. In the chaos of today’s violence and rioting and shouted demands of all sorts, it takes on a new and profound energy and relevance.

Reading it reminded me that I have lived believing that “a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” was the essence of civil rights.

Letting the words sink in will make it clear that the Black Lives Matter movement, only seven years old but seeking overthrow of the American system and culture and replacement with a Marxist regime, sneers at that essential MLK conception. 

BLM and its leaders and followers, their words, demands, behavior and actions have intentionally shredded every word, non-violent impulse, inspiration and hope of Dr. King. They defile every thought he so sonorously echoed across the Mall to the throngs there in person and those hearing it live on radio and TV. Today’s crumbling societal fabric makes that moment all the more powerful.

The simple, unavoidable truth is that BLM has completely inverted the thoughts and sentiments that Dr. King embodied that day. To use today’s vernacular, BLM has summarily canceled not only his speech, but Dr. King himself. Simply put, BLM and Dr. King are polar opposites.

How long will it be before BLM “activists” tear down the signs on every street, avenue, boulevard, hospital, school, church, and other entities named in MLK’s honor? When will his statues and other tributes to his legacy be covered with graffiti and other shameless acts of profane dishonor?

Even worse, when will the leaders of BLM, who clearly despise the very principles and civility on which Dr. King founded his life, issue formal declarations of their hatred and disagreement for everything King and his followers stood for and worked for so diligently?

How long will it take before the progress made since that historic day is reversed and permanently erased from the “woke history” that fills our classrooms from this day forward? When will they publicly confess this is what they stand for, and unleash waves of sorrow like we’ve never seen?