What Would MLK Say of Memphis Today?

16 Jan 2012 1 Comment

Travis and I were discussing over dinner last night the stark reality that we are only a mere 50 years removed from segregation. We’re talking only a generation from “white only” and “black only” water fountains. Gen-Xers and Millennials scratch their heads in bewilderment much in the same way the previous generation did concerning the Holocaust. Did that really happen? I mean were we ever that denigrating toward African Americans? The sad truth is that we were, and segregation did happen, but there were those brave souls, especially Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who spoke against injustice and stood up for the basic human rights of every person, black or white.

Living in Memphis has opened my eyes to the consequences of segregation. We may be 50 or so years removed from its clutches, but if you live here long enough you can still smell its stench. Pick any one issue or institution with a broken system in Memphis and more than likely you can trace the root problem to segregation. There is a great deal of poverty, so in effect, you will find a great deal of crime. Unless you live out east, on Mud Island, or in some pocket areas in Midtown, most of the rest of Memphis is blighted with the fading resemblance of what once was. Now before you peg me as a complainer or a “downer on my hood,” know that I love my city and that there are aspects of Memphis that are charming and pleasantly unique. It is just that you can’t live in the heart of Memphis and not see the crushing effects of man’s hatred for man.

So, what would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. say of Memphis today? He was a man of eloquence and fire, so I will not presume to speak for him, but may I venture to guess that he would say that the job is not complete- that is the job of racial equality. He was for the dignity of every person. I don’t think that Dr. King would be a cheerleader for welfare or excessive governmental assistance for the healthy and able-bodied, but I believe that he would encourage hard work and diligence from all people.

This really is a complex issue with various factors to sort through, but the truth remains the same- we need to in some way help the children’s children of those once segregated to realistically thrive in society. By help, I don’t mean handouts, but real programs that can educate and motivate those in our poor communities to essentially “make it.” I believe that these programs shouldn’t be government-led, but church-led. Washington does not have all of the answers; it is a broken system. However, the gospel does have the answer, and the church has the mandate to restore and renew all the while sharing the message of the cross, which offers hope for this life and for the life to come.

Dr. King was not merely a Civil Rights activist, but he was a Christian man whose dream I believe exceeds beyond the here and now. One of my favorite lines from his “I Have a Dream” speech illustrates this point, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted , every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” This is Memphis’ hope, and this is every city’s hope.