Page 20 - February 2017

tensions were extremely high that year. In September, and immediately sought to convict the Christians for
James Meredith made his first attempt to enroll at the being disturbers of the peace. . . But the Christians
University of Mississippi. Federal Marshalls were pressed on, in the conviction that they were a ‘colony
called in to escort him onto the campus. Just the of heaven,’ called to obey God rather than man.”
previous year, Dr. King spoke at Dickinson College in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Here, then, is one of the major lessons from the Civil
Rights Movement. Dr. King knew what Gandhi knew.
But in 1962, Martin Luther King, Jr. spent a good What Rosa Parks knew. What the U.S. Supreme Court
deal of his time in courtrooms and jails. He was tried that decided Brown v. Board of Education knew. But
and convicted in Albany, Georgia, of obstructing the Dr. King also knew what the early Christians knew:
sidewalk and parading without a permit. Six months
later, he was arrested again in Albany for similar Each knew that sometimes you have to “disturb the
offenses. peace,” you have to challenge the harmony of the status
quo if you want to bring about social change. And what’s
In those early years, Martin Luther King’s non-violent more remarkable is that, in each of these instances we
civil disobedience actions were controversial and see at the center the actions of only a single individual-
divided many areas of the country, including powerful an individual of courage and conviction–can set into
interest groups. The religious leaders in the United motion a process of profound historic change.
States were divided over whether Dr. King was, in fact,
holding the church in a bad light by leading marches It’s hard for me to imagine where we would be today–
and advocating civil protest that defied settled law. And where I would be–were it not for the individual actions
in doing so he appeared to threaten the very foundation of people willing to disturb the peace, to challenge
of accepted social contracts the status quo of racial the status quo and to rebel against unjust and immoral
segregation. laws. Certainly we would all be elsewhere and thus
our Celebration of Black History Month would not be
In fact, the FBI during this time period designated Dr. taking place.
King as “. . . the most dangerous Negro of the future in
the nation.” According to documents recently released But it is taking place and we are giving homage to
under the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI began those who made it possible and these profound events
a campaign to tap his phone, bug his hotel rooms and in American history.
to gather and leak information of any nature that might
discredit him. It is in keeping with Dr. King’s legacy that we consider
more broadly the concept of the global village. Dr. King
Calls began coming from a number of parties for King himself reminded us of that concept when he quoted the
to end his protests. But he ignored them and, early in famous lines from John Donne: “no man is an Island. .
1963, traveled to my hometown Birmingham, Alabama. . what injustices done unto others is done unto me.” Dr.
Again, he guided mass protests against segregation. In King did not dream narrowly.
April, he was arrested and sent to the Birmingham jail.
I was seven years old on the day King was arrested. I The challenges of this world await the next generation,
can still remember sitting in our kitchen and watching All the more so, as new technologies continue to make
disturbing images of blacks being attacked by dogs and our world smaller.
hosed with high pressure water. As my grandmother If you take nothing away from my article today,
watched, tears streamed down her cheeks. She said, remember this: Throughout all recorded time, no force
“Lord, you know that ain’t right.” has changed so thoroughly the march of history than the
Fellow clergyman in Alabama called his protests power of an idea and a single individual’s actions. With
“unwise and untimely.” To answers his critics, King courage and conviction, we all can change the course
wrote the now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” of great nations. I’ve seen it happen in my lifetime with
one of the most profound documents of a profound the Civil Rights Movement.
time. In this letter, he defends his so-called lawlessness The Movement taught us that civility and common
by reminding them of the source of his beliefs and the courtesy toward others in your everyday conduct can
motivation for his action. make a difference. Even the smallest courtesies can

Dr. King wrote: “There was a time when the church make a difference. And all of the small opportunities
was very powerful in the time when the early Christians that present themselves in everyday life can add up to
rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they enormous proportions and can go beyond anything Dr.
believed. In those days the church was not merely a King or Gandhi ever imagined, if you’re willing to pick
thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of up the challenge. Thank you for your attention to this
popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed story about the American journey, the Constitution of
the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians the United States and the life of a truly epic son and an
entered a town, the people in power became disturbed authentic American hero, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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