When I was in college, I served on a committee planning the University of Michigan’s renowned Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium.
That year, Michigan brought Dr. Cornel West, the philosopher, activist, and professor, to campus as the symposium’s keynote speaker. He was a hero of mine (and still is). As a planning committee member, I was honored to have lunch with him. His brilliance and outsized personality were guaranteed to leave an impression, but it was the simplicity of the message he delivered that day that has stayed with me the last 25 years.
Dr. King was already an icon by the late 90s, almost supernatural for his leadership and intellect. His speeches and writings were universally revered.
That drove Dr. West to remind us — I’m paraphrasing from memory — that King entered the world the same way we all enter this world. He was a human being, born of a woman. He was a son, a husband, and a father, who saw the same struggles that many communities see. He wasn’t so different from any of us.
The difference was that he acted. He stepped forward, disregarding fear and danger, to battle the injustice and the brutalization incited by racist beliefs, laws, and systems.
Dr. West warned us that Dr. King would not want us to deify him or put him on a pedestal. Because doing so could in some ways excuse us from continuing the work that Dr. King was unable to finish.
That important truth inspired me on that day. And today I’m inspired by our partners — all of them human beings who entered this world the same way as Dr. King. They too make the choice to take action in their communities. Lisa Good in Albany, Sateria Tate in Baton Rouge, and Lakeesha Eure in Newark are just a few who have answered the call to lead and serve.
I hope that they inspire you too, because it is up to all of us to continue Dr. King’s work to hold America accountable to its declaration that all men are created equal.
