The Most Public Voice of Moral Conscience
By Will Lieber, 17
Legacy is leaving a stamp on future generations through words and actions. Legacy is making an impact on society through servitude and benevolence. Legacy is Martin Luther King Junior. Throughout his entire life, Dr. King championed the civil rights movement. In an era where African American voices were often stifled, his boomed of equality and rang of freedom.
Dr. King was the most public voice of moral conscience. He had a vision for a diversely compatible America, the progression of humanitarian rights, and the unification of the masses for a ubiquitous goal. Dr. King accomplished all of this without violent action. Dr. King always chose the high ground. He was resolute, determined, and unyielding.
He was often opposed with violence, such as hate mail, threats against his family, and the actions of white supremacy groups. But Dr. King understood that their hatred could only be defeated with love, and he strove to unite his followers in peaceful protest. Dr. King was often known to say that “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” With every fiber in his body, Dr. King refused retaliation and insisted upon a confident defiance of fear in a nonviolent manner.
Then, on April 14th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated. The peoples’ champion of justice and reformation had been murdered in cold blood by James Earl Ray.
But in 1968, the year King was murdered, the Fair Housing Act banned discrimination in the sale of property based on race. Also in 1968, the Poor Peoples’ Campaign continued after King’s death and garnered support for acts encouraging humanitarian and economic equality. In 1972, an act establishing equality in the workplace was passed. Dr. King’s ideas were kept alive after his death because his legacy lived on among those he had impacted during his lifetime.
Dr. King’s legacy is the precedent for nonviolence and fearlessness in the face of societal injustices today. His followers during the Civil Rights Movement were inspired by his ideas and continued to fight for justice after he died. By following Dr. King’s example of fighting violence with nonviolence, the next generation also can strive to achieve his vision for a better future.
