Editors Note: This post was written two years ago in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, we have seen the dangerous consequences of the words of President Trump that, as I wrote at the time, “tore us down” instead of lifting us up. Today, as we look toward the imminent inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, we republish this essay to remember what Dr. King taught: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
At times like these, with division and anger leading the national conversation, we can feel grateful that there is a day to honor someone who represents their polar opposite.
At times like these, we may hang on to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. like a life raft as we swim, daily, in waters polluted by tweeting in all caps, race-baiting, lies and childish insults from our commander in chief.
Remember there was a time when words uplifted, not tore us down:
“Violence is not the way,” Dr. King said. “Hate is not the way. Bitterness is not the way. We must stand up with love in our hearts, with a lack of bitterness and yet a determination to protest courageously for justice and freedom in this land.”
Dr. King preached non-violence, but also freedom and justice and equality. These are the core values of our democracy at any time.
It’s so often hard to remember this.
In the age of Trump many of us — I do, at least — feel ashamed to see words giving comfort to white supremacists. And some of us feel helpless witnessing a brutal federal policy that separates families in our name.
Now in the age of Facebook Live, we have also been made painfully aware of the continued, systemic racism faced by people of color no matter who has been in the Oval Office — including an African American president.
With that in mind, let us recall the observation Dr. King made about the arc of history being long but bending toward justice. Let us recall that he taught us how freedom for all is driven forward — by incremental effort.
“If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving,” he urged us.
Here is something else worth remembering: A Republican president, Ronald Reagan, signed the legislation to create Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. This was only the second national holiday created to commemorate and honor an American; George Washington was the other.
So we take comfort in that, just as we may take comfort in the advances our country has seen toward the values Dr. King espoused in the diversity of our new House of Representatives, and in the richness of our popular culture from Oprah to “Black Panther” to Beyonce.
Because of him, we have a national hero who is African American and celebrated everywhere, officially, thanks to his sacrifices and those of his generation who marched and sat-in and stood-up for human dignity.
More than ever, we need his words and his legacy.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Amen.
MLK Day: 12 Inspirational Movies You Must See
Martin Luther King Jr. captivated America with his calls for social equality and justice. Yet his story has bedeviled filmmakers who want to bring it to the big screen. Oliver Stone, Lee Daniels and Paul Greengrass are just a few of the big name directors who have struggled to get projects about the Civil Rights icon off the ground.
That's not to say that Hollywood hasn't created films that lionize public figures, sports heroes and average joes and janes who stood their ground against implacable forces. Be it William Wallace standing down his English oppressors in "Braveheart" or activist "Malcolm X" preaching a more radical brand of political empowerment or Harvey Milk galvanizing San Francisco's gay community in "Milk" these characters have the power to inspire moviegoers and remind them about the brave men and women who envision and demand change.
MILK (2008): Sean Penn's performance as Harvey Milk, a camera shop owner who becomes a central force in the early days of the gay movement, is one for the ages and justly earned him a second Oscar. The greatness of "Milk" is that it painstakingly documents how social movements organize on a grassroots level and work within the system to achieve progress.
ROCKY (1976): It's impossible not to leap off your couch and cheer at Sylvester Stallone's classic underdog story about a down on his luck boxer who gets a chance to shine in the ring. Forget the endless array of sequels that marred the original's legacy, this one's a champ.
STAND AND DELIVER (1988): Knowledge is power in this inner city "Mr. Chips" story. Based on the life of Jaime Escalante, an Eastern Los Angeles math teacher who pushes his class through AP Calculus, "Stand and Deliver" is a subtle, but devastatingly powerful picture that reminds viewers about the enduring value of education.
NORMA RAE (1979): Sally Field scored one of the all-time great roles as a textile worker who finds her voice by joining the labor movement. Unions have become a political hot potato in recent years, but the image of Field standing in the middle of a factory and defying her bosses will have even the most hardened corporate baron reaching for the tissues.
BRAVEHEART (1995): The cause was simple -- "freedom" -- but has that desire ever been more stirringly articulated than by Mel Gibson's warrior prophet, William Wallace?
MALCOLM X (1992): This is Spike Lee's greatest film and Denzel Washington's most towering performance. Together, the frequent collaborators chart the former Malcolm Little's metamorphosis from petty thief to leader of men. His brand of dissent was controversial, but this movie makes audiences respect the messenger even if they quibble with aspects of the message.
THE BLIND SIDE (2009): This drama about a Texas family who takes in a foster child only to discover he is a football prodigy has a paint-by-numbers quality to its uplift. That said, only a heart of stone will avoid swelling at the true story of a future NFL star who was rescued from a life of poverty and neglect.
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966): Thomas More's defiance of King Henry VIII and refusal to rubber-stamp the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon because it violates More's religious beliefs, becomes a rousing parable about the difficulty of staying true to one's conscience in the face of unimaginable political pressure. Paul Scofield as More gives one of the great courtroom speeches in all of movies. Watch it and weep.
THE KING'S SPEECH (2010): King George VI's fight to conquer his stammer and rally England to war becomes an electrifying drama about an ordinary man thrust by accident of birth into an extraordinary situation.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962): Gregory Peck personifies goodness and decency as small-time lawyer Atticus Finch. His defense of a wrongfully accused black man risks his standing in a close knit, deeply racist community, but it commanded generations of movie lovers' respect.
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939): Jimmy Stewart's raspy-voiced filibuster at the close of Frank Capra's classic "little guy" story has become a cliché for a reason. Perhaps no scene in movie history has so perfectly conveys both the frustrations and greatness of democracy.
LEE DANIEL'S THE BUTLER (2013): Daniels may not have realized his ambitions to make a film of Dr. King's life, but he was able to illustrate the long arc of the civil rights movement by focusing on a quiet White House manservant (Forest Whitaker) who moves from witness to participant in history.
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”Milk,“ ”Malcolm X,“ ”Norma Rae“ and other films recognize the virtue of self-sacrifice
Martin Luther King Jr. captivated America with his calls for social equality and justice. Yet his story has bedeviled filmmakers who want to bring it to the big screen. Oliver Stone, Lee Daniels and Paul Greengrass are just a few of the big name directors who have struggled to get projects about the Civil Rights icon off the ground.
That's not to say that Hollywood hasn't created films that lionize public figures, sports heroes and average joes and janes who stood their ground against implacable forces. Be it William Wallace standing down his English oppressors in "Braveheart" or activist "Malcolm X" preaching a more radical brand of political empowerment or Harvey Milk galvanizing San Francisco's gay community in "Milk" these characters have the power to inspire moviegoers and remind them about the brave men and women who envision and demand change.