Beyond the dream: Martin Luther King Jr and his enduring lessons for public change
The civil rights icon speaks with uncomfortable clarity to India and the US, both facing the challenge of transforming democratic ideals into reality.
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In 1963, Time magazine featured civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr on the cover. But the portrait of King was not of a triumphant orator but a man with worried eyes and slanted shoulders, bearing the visible weight of his calling.
That image offers a truth about King and his legacy, that the path to justice demands more than just inspiring speeches, it calls for a willingness to carry profound burdens.
In the United States, an emboldened Donald Trump took charge as president on January 20, a day that also commemorated Martin Luther King Jr this year. On January 26, India will celebrate its 75th Republic Day. Both nations face a crucial challenge of transforming democratic ideals into lived reality. In this present moment, King’s life and non-violent resistance to arbitrary power speaks to us with uncomfortable clarity.
Jan 3 1964 - Martin Luther King Jnr, named Time magazine's “Man of the Year” for his work on civil rights. pic.twitter.com/oq5xhWh8rR— DailyRadical History (@radicaldaily) January 3, 2021
Imagining a just future
In 1950s America, the idea that people of all races could live together seemed radical, even dangerous to many. When King began the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama in December 1955 – for racial segregation on public transport – he faced...
