The Garment Of Destiny

... what people don’t realize is at the end of his life, King was looking at our crisis, a profound spiritual and material crisis, and he said that we had advanced economic growth at the expense of community and of participation, that our works had become larger and we ourselves had become smaller.
-- Grace Lee Boggs on Martin Luther King, Democracy Now!, January 22, 2008

I'm a white guy. I don't pretend to have that depth of insight into Martin Luther King that would allow me to speak with any authority about his legacy, and I'm a day late in any event. For most of his time in public life, I was attending an all-white school in Southern Ohio. The first time I sat in a classroom with a member of any minority, I was in college, barely two-and-a-half years before he was assassinated. At the time of his assassination, I was taking part in a college underground theater production, and we were all deeply affected, but still too ignorant, as I recall, of the full impact of what had occurred.

Even in the bubble environment of my high school and community, I had already had my encounters with these conflicts of values. As I began my freshman year, I took stock of my own hero worship for Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds and Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns. It was not lost on me that these were black men, and the strength of my identification with them in their athletic careers spilled over into my identification with their life struggles. I may have lived a sheltered youth, but I could not even then reconcile the still-pervasive attitudes of racism with the realities of the world at large.

If we could be transported now to those times in the late sixties, to April 4, 1968 when King was murdered, we would be overcome with the level of racism, not to mention the widespread jingoism, of that time. By today's standards, we were shockingly primitive. I bring some of that perspective to the table as I look at King's legacy today. Those of you still in your twenties, or even thirties, can't even imagine how far we've truly come, although many of us can see how far we have yet to go. I mention our progress in these areas not to provide an opportunity for self-congratulation, but to note that change does and will occur, for all the rhetorical flourishes of today, and that change will in the long run, God willing, not favor the regressive voices who still compete for dominance in our discussions. The long view of history points to greater understanding between all people, so there is hope.

I've listened to some of King's speeches the last couple of days. Sometimes I was a little irritated by the sing-song inflections of the old-time preacher in his delivery, and wished he would have spoken in more natural tones, but I understood the importance of the religious tradition for what he was and what he needed to accomplish. It's in keeping with the themes of this blog that I voice my appreciation for his faith as well. I've had conversations recently with my family, my aging father and stepmother, regarding topics like Creationism, and whether Barack Obama is really a Muslim. I understand how a changing world can seem like a threat to the simple faith that is the core of America's heartland. It's very important, then, that a man such as Martin Luther King, whose message resonates so deeply within the context of the kind of changes we need today, saw no conflict whatsoever with his fundamental Christian faith. Quite the contrary, his faith was his constant source of strength, and a tie that bound his cause to the "single garment of destiny" into which we are all interwoven.

The challenges of today may be, in some respects, a challenge of faith. While the influence of conservative fundamentalism may be seen by some as declining, I'm not as certain. Even in so-called progressive churches there is a tendency to resist confronting issues directly, and some tacit acceptance of injustices in exchange for a morally deficient stability. The deep grooves of well-travelled paths are still followed, even after they've sunk into ruts that mire us in place. In this atmosphere of failed leadership and looming storm clouds over the climate, the economy, and the misunderstandings between all people, men like Dr. King still have a destiny to reach battered hearts and minds when the need is greatest. Was I the only one to feel that his voice was louder this year, more insistent of its relevance to the issues of today? I strongly think not.

Not only his willingness to lead, but his simple unwavering faith, has made his memory especially powerful this year. He was the proof that we can celebrate, just as we are, that fabric of eternity that's beyond our separate selves, and gives life to what he called a "dangerous selflessness," in me, in you, in our best hopes for the safe harbor ahead in this storm-tossed sea. We have everything it takes, right here this minute, to succeed.

It shouldn't be surprising that Barack Obama would provide the most eloquent expression for this moment when we all have paused to reflect, although the things we've heard have been mostly far removed from such topics. I've been hard on all politicians for their unwillingness to stand firm against some of the worst abuses of the administration in the past year, but the potential of Obama has still tempted me to hope that he might be different. I still can't say, but Obama's speech at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta last Sunday fulfilled all his promise as an inspiring speaker, and then some. The video below has been posted everywhere, and has probably been seen by millions already, but if you haven't heard this speech yet, you're in for quite a treat.