Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a speaker who inspired action. He was a writer of great grace and power, but he knew his words were only as powerful as the movement they inspired. Here we are, nearly 50 years after his death, still working to follow his lead, and always searching for the leaders who compel actions.
Here’s what Rep. John Lewis says about Dr. King:
I was so inspired by Dr. King that in 1956, with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins – I was only 16 years old – we went down to the public library trying to check out some books, and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for colors. It was a public library.
Much has changed since 1956, and much remains that needs to change. I don’t practice enough action in the footsteps of King, Lewis, and the other leaders of that era. Perhaps you don’t either. Dr. King reminds me that words aren’t enough, though they are a start.
If you want to hear John Lewis speak movingly about his experience, there is no better place to start than his conversation with Krista Tippett for On Being. I’ll be listening again today.
As John Lewis said,
If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.
Not say something about it. Do something about it.