Happy MLK Day
Happy MLK Day
"The Beloved Community is a realistic vision of an achievable society..."
This post is an updated version of last year’s post.
Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. came to Mankato, Minnesota to deliver a speech on Sunday November 12, 1961. He was not yet a well known civil rights leader. The organizers for this visit had seen him speak at a conference in Miami, were moved by his oratory skills, and asked him to come. Centenary United Methodist Church, interested in helping the Civil Rights Movement, joined with The Wesley Foundation of Mankato State University, to bring him to Mankato so their constituents could hear what he had to say. The people of a much smaller and less diverse Mankato than today, made their way out to listen. The Mankato West High School auditorium where he spoke was filled to standing-room-only.
The documentary linked below depicts Dr. Rev. King’s visit to Mankato, including a timeline of his early life, the series of letter invitations that finally led up to his speaking engagement, and commentary from people who saw the event that day.
Some of the points the Reverend Martin Luther King made in his speech were that we live in an interconnected world, white supremacy is dangerous, we need to be creative in our ways of confronting that system, and we definitely need to keep talking about it. Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. needed for Northerners to listen so that legislative action could happen and no doubt his words in Mankato inspired that progress.
It was noted in the video that the only reason they have the original sound and transcript of the speech or any photographs was because KMSU Radio Station of Mankato State University had kept copies in their archives.
Local reporting is so important.
The only other documentation of the event is a couple blurbs in the paper. This was discussed during the panel discussion after the screening of the documentary . There was known backlash to the event, but the historians could find no writing of about it.
This event occurred early on in Dr. Martin Luther King’s career. His beliefs and tactics changed over time. As did the public’s perception of him. By the time of his assassination in 1968, he knew he that many were out to get him and he was in danger and yet he continued to speak out. Our public memories of King have glossed over the part where his popularity had waned and he had become a nuisance to the general public, including the deliberate attempt by the American government to stifle and intimidate him. It is important to remember the fickle minds of our public memory and mass opinions and remember to practice the disciplines that steel ourselves against the forces of hatred. Embrace uncertainty and know that MLK’s words, his sacrifice, his dream continues to ripple ever outward.
My mother would have been 12 years old when he spoke in Mankato on Sunday November 12, 1961.
Who of my mom’s circle would have helped fill that standing-room-only auditorium of Mankato West High School? What would the ripple effect have been in the community from all being together in that space and time, hearing those words from that man?
Mom’s story holds certain similarities to how the above documentary described King’s early life: They both had charismatic fathers who pushed them. They both had motivating experiences in education in which they performed beyond their peers, skipping ahead and graduating at younger ages. They both became leaders of movements based on their life experiences.
In those days you could find the farm where my mom lived north of North Mankato, after turning down Rural Route 2 at Loe’s Truck Stop. First there was her Grandparent’s farm on the left, and then, a little further down, at the crook in the road and a twist in the ravine, you got to her home place.
At twelve she got her first job at that truck stop, waiting tables. She would walk down the gravel road to work. She had worked there for a couple weeks before her Aunt Bridel found out that she wasn’t 16 as she had assumed, “You are only 12!”
Mom always laughed when she told that part of the story, how Bridel fired her when she realized how young she was.
I only know Bridel by her reputation. According to lore, she was sharp-tongued, domineering, and combative. This isn’t what people actually said, they used the word “battle-ax,” an offensive descriptor said in a joking manner and when looked up in the dictionary, those previous words are the definition.
Until now, I have never stopped to wonder about my mom’s relationship with these outspoken women of the family. How much did their fierceness inform my mother and help her find her way?
In reality, I don’t think it would have been likely that any of these farmers from the north side of Mankato would have been at the auditorium to see MLK speak, but maybe my knowledgeable readers will help me fill in the blanks.
And I do think it likely her teachers were there.
King was in community with many other religious leaders of the time. He worked hand in hand with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a great philosopher who has been an influence on the way my family unit has observed the Jewish practice of shabbat. And his short friendship with Thich Nhat Hanh greatly influenced both of them. See the articles linked in the resources below. I included a summary of what they contain.
All these religious leaders grappled with the violence and hatred that they encountered in their work within the American social fabric. And all were tireless in their efforts to work against it. As Thich Nhat Hanh responded in a letter the morning after Dr. King’s assassination,
“I did not sleep last night. . . . They killed Martin Luther King. They killed us. I am afraid the root of violence is so deep in the heart and mind and manner of this society. They killed him. They killed my hope. I do not know what to say. . . . He made so great an impression [on] me. This morning I have the impression that I cannot bear the loss.”
But it was from this great loss, and from his admiration of King’s dedication and sacrifice that he dedicated his own work. It was for Dr. King that Thich Nhat Hanh pledged to continue his work and through his great many teachings that continued ripples ever outward. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s himself said, “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” He knew by the time he said that that this work would take time, he saw that his work put him in grave danger, and he yet did the work anyway.
I am grateful for the life and bravery of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Quote from the MLK memorial in Atlanta:
The Beloved Community is a realistic vision of an achievable society, one in which problems and conflict exist, but are resolved peacefully and without bitterness. In the Beloved Community, caring and compassion drive political policies that support the worldwide elimination of poverty and hunger and all forms of bigotry and violence. The Beloved Community is a state of heart and mind, a spirit of hope and goodwill that transcends all boundaries and barriers and embraces all creation. At its core, the Beloved Community is an engine of reconciliation. This way of living seems a long way from the kind of world we have now, but I do believe it is a goal that can be accomplished through courage and determination, and through education and training, if enough people are willing to make the necessary commitment.
Resources for further study:
If you want to watch more of Dr. Reverend Marin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Minnesota here is a link to an episode of PBS’ Minnesota Experience including MLK’s speeches in St. Paul at the University of Minnesots in 1967 and an interview discussing the way toward a society that is good for all. https://www.tpt.org/minnesota-experience/video/martin-luther-king-in-minnesota-54jkuf/
This article describes Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and King’s relationship and goes into Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr’s later life and actions. His experience of joining MLK in the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. And the concerns he had about King speaking out against the Vietnam War. In a speech for King’s Birthday, just 10 days before his assasination, Heschel described King as the “hope of America.” This includes reference to biblical symbolism and the passion that infused the movement. Heschel sites the story of Pharaoh and the tragedy that his heart could not be softened. Heschel maintained that that was the first conference on race, and it is still has going on (from a 1963 speech): https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/leadership/two-friends-two-prophets
Here is a speech of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in which he characterizes racism as an “eye disease” and begs us to be “prophets” of civil rights and throw off our neutrality. There is an end that we want and we know what it is. Josh’s dad was a Jew who admired Heschel and certainly heard this plea in 1963 and took action in his own life. I can get behind the way he talks of God in this speech. Read what Heschel says about Radical Amazement here.
Mankato FreePress article describing MLK’s visit to the city, were to find the transcripts, and quotes from residents who went to see him when he came. Also covered some of the moves made to commemorate MLK and his visit in the time since. https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/civil-rights-leader-spoke-in-mankato-in-1961/article_23bc3c42-f7a7-11e7-a21e-8f25f869b8a1.amp.html
A link to a piece from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation and how a meeting with one person can change the trajectory of one’s whole life. They met for the first time in 1966. It was this meeting which inspired MLK to begin speaking out against the Vietnam War despite the trepidation about the difficulties it may make in the movement for civil rights. Almost a year later Thich Nhat Han and Dr Rev Martin Luther King met again. In the meantime King had recommended Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize. https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/blog/2017/8/9/when-giants-meet
This article covers the timeline of Thich Nhat Hanh and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s friendship and how TNH pledges to devote his life to building MLK’s Beloved Community. https://tricycle.org/article/martin-luther-king-thich-nhat-hanh/
Adding one more link. Heather Cox Richardson leads this post with what makes a hero and includes this portion of King’s “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech” from the night before he was killed. He knew he was in danger as he worked for a racially and economically just America. “I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter…because I’ve been to the mountaintop…. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life…. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”
Resources added in the 2024 Update:
This podcast from NPR’s Code Switch about MLK’s about change in perception over time, how his image has been coopted to support things he wouldn’t have supported. It includes the ways he was criticized during his time. Some of the interviewee Hajar Yazdiha’s words and concepts: White-lash, white-washed, sanitized, selective image, how media sustained the backlash, “epistemology of ignorance” coined by Charles W. Mills. It also substantiates the article below from The Economist, talking about how people on the right are taking him out of context being to refute Critical Race Theory. How MLK’s vision relied on a long time scape - this is the kind of stuff I love.
This article from The Economist is about the ways that MLK has been misunderstood and his statements misrepresented. He became more radical in his views as time went on and was very unpopular and criticized for his stance against the Vietnam war. He wrote a lot and people often take his quotes out of context. This article is about a recent biography about him, and it begins and ends with leaders against the Critical Race Theory misrepresenting MLK’s words and point of view in order to claim he was colorblind.
This article from Vox discusses MLK’s “I have a Dream Speech” in some detail, highlighting three parts of it that people are less likely to remember. The speech was held in 1963, 100 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It sets up the iconic part of the speech that was improvised and most remembered "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." It sets up the historical context. The need for inclusions, capitalizing of the energy that was present. Listing the articles of inequality that the civil rights movement were fighting. Including a link to the full speech.
August of 2022 Post where I visit the King Memorial in Atlanta.
Original version of this article published in on MLK Day in 2023.
I use Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice” in this Yoga Poetry Radio "seated six directions of the spine" post to connect the idea of “practice and all is coming and patience and incremental change.