Martin Luther King Jr, A man who stood up for all the right things. He was an African American and the most visible spokesperson of his time. Born in 1929 and worked for the cause of equality for all until the day of his assassination. He was the leader of the Civil rights movement and stood for the rights of people who were judged based on their color and were not able to have a good standard of living. Martin Luther’s fight for equality and civil disobedience changed the lives of many African Americans who were oppressed by their rights.
The Vision:
If we were given two options, one of living comfortable lives by being concerned about one’s matters and second being out in public and risking one’s own life for the betterment of society. Which option would be the one you would go for? The majority would go for the first one for sure. Martin Luther opted for the second one and came up with a vision that changed the lives of many African Americans.
A life full of privileges is a right of everyone. Martin Luther’s vision consisted of men and women being treated equally and not being differentiated based on their color or race. Many decades ago he delivered a dream speech in Washington. Many leaders have taken inspiration from this speech of him. Martin Luther wanted America to be a state that serves justice to all and a state which is identified by brotherhood and unity among the citizens.
One thing about Martin Luther that proved to be very inspirational among all the points was that he didn’t get involved in any wrongful deed to fight for his cause and advised his people to do the same and not go after bitterness and hatred for their cause. Dignity and discipline were the two things he made sure his people should have in themselves.
He had a dream of seeing white and black people living together with peace without any black feeling less about themselves or having less rights than white people. He had a dream of seeing people both white and black Americans live a life free of fears. Fears like facing police brutality, fear of being killed or jailed without any particular reason, and many such fears. He had a dream of seeing the citizens of America joining hands to make America a nation free from injustice and violence.
King’s philosophy on non-violence:
The non-violence philosophy of Martin Luther was a thing based on which he worked for his cause. The inspiration for this came from Mahatma Gandhi. He started finding ways in which he could make Non-violence a way of life. He told six principles regarding non-violence. The first one focused on fighting with evil without being violent. The second one focused on treating opponents with humbleness rather than humiliating them. The third one focused on hating the evil not the one doing it. The fourth one focused on accepting the suffering one will face as a consequence of supporting the non-violence philosophy. The fifth point explained the importance of non-violence, that is how non-violence not only resists external physical violence to the opponent but also makes one resist to hate the opponent. The sixth and the last point was a light of hope amidst the chaos that told people to have a strong faith for a good future ahead. King stood for this philosophy of his till the day of his assassination. The non-violence movement was rejected by many leaders in America and because of that many African-Americans lost hope and stepped back from it. But the king despite all the hate and rejections stayed committed to non-violence.
King’s influence:
When he started the civil rights movement he never knew how much he would be able to influence people. But one thing that didn’t let him step back was his determination of changing the lives of African-Americans. This determination of King made him a man of his words. The influence of the king did not stop at the American borders. Many people across the border got influenced and understood the importance of non-violence and tried implementing it.
King’s influence in South Africa:
Martin Luther King was a man with determination and focus. He stood for equality by asking for equal treatment for all by the Government. South African president Nelson Mandela used the king’s points of non-violence from the day he was elected to the day he died. Nelson Mandela not only governed South Africa through king’s points and techniques but also continued working for the cause of equality and racism-free America for the rest of his life.
King’s influence on International law:
In 1965, a convention was made by the United Nations. This convention was about eliminating all forms of racial discrimination. This surely was a great thing that could have ever happened.
What’s happening today in America?
All of us are aware of the black lives matter movement that took place in 2020. Incidents like killing or treating black Americans brutally by the police and officials have become a normal thing in the United States of America. Black Americans in the majority of the cities of America continue to fight for their rights, continues to face racial discrimination and inequality, and continues to struggle for a better standard of living. The amount of immigrant stories would be less in numbers if the King’s points were implemented today in America. King would have been rallying and would be the leader of the black lives matter movement if he was alive today. People of America have high hopes from Biden’s Government to work for the vision that King had and to make America great again.
The legacy of Martin Luther King continues till today. He has changed the world not only for African Americans but for all the people facing discrimination and inequality, living in any corner of the world. King unified people for a common goal. He never let fear take the power. He always looked into the face of fear and not for a second stepped back from his words, movement and cause.
