50 Years Later
By Albert B. Kelly
This coming April 4th will mark the 50th
anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis,
Tennessee at the hands of James Earl Ray. The nation was shocked back in 1968
and yet I can’t help but think that MLK lived each day with the ever-present
shadow of a violent death- that on some level he knew that tapping into that
bitter root of racial hatred might cost him his life.
Yet 50 years later, I still marvel at his steadfast faith in
his fellow Americans, a faith that believed we could or would move past the
racially motivated bitterness and hatred that is so enmeshed into the fabric of
this country. I am still amazed by his undiminished hope that we would rise to
the occasion and pursue justice- his tendency to look for the best in everyone.
These qualities didn’t come from the civil rights activist
side of him; they came from the minister part of him- the part that spoke often
about redemptive suffering and love and compassion and the need for these to be
the scaffolding of justice. These things sustained him throughout his public
life even in the face snarling dogs and fire hoses; they sustained while others
were calling for violence in the streets and ultimately they sustained him as
he drew his last breath on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in a pool of blood
on a Thursday night in April of 1968.
So if we’re going to remember him and celebrate his life now,
we should do it in the only way that matters, which means leaning toward the
minister side of him. I say that because no matter how you measure the progress
or lack of progress on race and social justice in this country over the last 50
years, we still need hope sustain us and compassion to guide us as we seek that
justice.
That’s why I’m delighted that Dr. Wilson Goode Sr. will be
the guest speaker on Wednesday, April 4th at 7:00pm at Union Baptist
Temple as we remember MLK on the 50th anniversary of his
assassination. We know Wilson Goode best in his previous role serving as Philadelphia’s
first African-American mayor from 1984 to 1991.
But what many don’t know is that Wilson Goode is also an
ordained minister and this work gives him that blend of a tough-mind and a
tender heart - qualities so necessary to understanding not only the life of Dr.
King and his legacy, but the challenges that face us today five decades after
his death.
Dr. Goode understands the role of social justice in today’s
world and this understanding is part of why he is the President and CEO of
Amachi Incorporated, a nationally acclaimed faith-based program for mentoring
children of incarcerated parents. He is the Chairman and CEO of Self
Incorporated- another nonprofit corporation dedicated to serving homeless men
and women.
Why does this matter when we’re talking about the legacy of
Martin Luther King? It matters because so much of what King did in his life was
done on behalf of the marginalized and downtrodden- those on the bottom rung of
the American Dream. At the time of his death, MLK had made progress on such issues
as segregation in public facilities and accommodations, in federal programs,
and on voting rights.
With 50 years of hindsight, it might not be too much to say
that what got done back in the 60’s, as important as it is, was the lower hanging
fruit and that having peeled back those layers, he found that a much deeper set
of problems remained. King knew as much when he traveled north of the
Mason-Dixon Line, but he didn’t live long enough to tackle those challenges.
Yet these challenges remain with us today and if we’re going
to make progress regardless of race or background, we’ll need to renew what
sustained MLK in life; love, compassion, and reaching for the best in people. As
a mayor of a major city dealing with these challenges both in the world of
politics and then in the context of ministry, Wilson Goode has a unique blend
of experiences to provide valuable perspectives on that part of MLK’s work that
remains for us to do 50 years after his death.
Please consider joining us on Wednesday, April 4th
beginning at 7:00pm at Union Baptist Temple located at 30 Martin Luther King Jr.
Way in Bridgeton.