Dr. King's Legacy

Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, civil rights activist who passed away forty-nine years ago. Dr. King was not just an activist, but also a Baptist minister who displayed his Christian beliefs in his fight for civil rights by advocating nonviolence and racial equality.

Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is still hailed as a masterpiece of oratory and stirs my heart no matter how many times I hear it. One line that is often quoted and stands out for a lot of people is this: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"







It is ironic that fifty-four years after Dr. King delivered that speech, this dream remains just that - an elusive dream.  Oh sure, we have made great strides. We have had an African-American president, and minorities play a great role in every sector of our society, but some people are still marginalized because of the color of their skin, or where they were born. 

But there is a saying, "the more things change, the more they seem the same." In Jesus's day, racism -and segregation - was rampant. Take this conversation with the Samaritan woman. Jesus saith unto her, give me to drink. (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) John 4: 7 - 9.

The woman was stating a known fact. Jews did not associate with Samaritans, who were considered inferior as they were a mixed race. Jesus was on a mission to change all that. After He'd spoken to the woman, she went and told the people of the village what Jesus had told her and they all came out to meet Him.  

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did (John 4: 39 - 40).

The story doesn't end there. The book of Acts tells us, "When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria" (8: 14).



^{From that one meeting with a woman at the well, a whole nation was saved. Jesus's message is as clear now as it was then, and we have a great reminder in the legacy of Dr. King.}

Coretta Scott King

After an enforced hiatus brought about when my computer crashed, I am now back, having just received it almost as good as new from my firstborn whiz kid, Kevin. If you use your computer daily and you've had to be without it for a month, then I'm sure you can empathize. Hopefully, I won't have to go through this again for a long time.

So with Black History month also over, I'd like to repeat this post I'd published some years ago on Coretta Scott King, wife of Rev. Martin Luther King. Mrs. King was well known for her support of her husband during the turbulent civil rights days and  after his death she continued the struggle along with several of his aides. Mrs. King, herself now deceased,  remains an iconic model of courage, loyalty and dedication for women everywhere.

As you read about this famous lady, ask yourself, are you as faithful and dedicated to your husband as you should be? You don't have to be another Coretta King, but you can be the kind of wife your husband needs. If your answer leaves you in doubt, ask the Holy Spirit to help you become that kind of woman.

Walking Beside Him

I decided to contribute to this last Sunday in Black History month with this post about a woman who featured prominently in our society up until her passing in 2006. This woman is none other than Coretta Scott King who walked bravely beside her husband, Martin Luther King. In the midst of their civil rights activities, Mrs. King found the time to juggle housework and babies while her husband spent time pursuing his dream of equality for the black race. And in addition to performing her role as wife and mother, Mrs. King also took part in protest rallies, spoke to scores of people and protected her children from a bomb or two.


Coretta King gave up the bright lights of a singing career to become the wife of a Baptist minister in 1953. She later gave birth to four children. Early in the marriage she worked alongside her husband, or it was more like marched, traveled abroad with him and spoke on his behalf when he was unable to do so. Coretta survived Martin Luther King by four decades, and determined that the work he began would live on, she gave herself no time to mourn. Just four days after his death she led a march through the streets of Memphis, and attended the Poor People’s March in Washington later that year.

Over the years, Coretta King continued to work tirelessly in her husband’s memory, establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia, and achieving the goal of having her husband’s birthday honored as a public holiday in Jan. 1986. She continued to travel the globe, preaching the gospel of equality and became a goodwill ambassador and advisor to world leaders, including Nelson Mandela.

Like most wives of men in the limelight, Coretta had to put up with the scores of women who admired and followed her husband. Despite rumors of infidelity on Martin Luther’s part, Coretta “stood by her man” and did not allow those rumors to affect their relationship.

As women we can learn from Mrs. King's example of loyalty, devotion and courage. Whether we are married to a world leader or a subordinate, those qualities can be the "wind beneath our mate's wings." God calls us to no less.