Honestly, I usually don't think much about MLK Day, except to be glad I don't have to work. Sometimes I catch a snippet of an official event, or briefly reflect on a mention in the local news. But I never really celebrate it as a holiday, or think overmuch about the man it honors.
This past Monday was different. A friend invited me to his brother's annual MLK Day dinner, which I thought was a pretty novel and intriguing idea. My friend described it as this great gathering of people talking about things that matter, so of course I was hooked - and the evening did not disappoint.
First it's worth just talking about the people. They were an eclectic collection of activist folks in their 20s to 50s, with many who worked in social justice non-profits plus the occasional massage therapist. Most were self-described white people; this is notable because white people rarely feel the need to self-identify in this majority culture. But then these were people routinely involved in anti-racist organizations, so it seems they were more used to being aware of such things about themselves.
There was a lot of good food and chat, a little debate watching, and not enough watching of either Dance Wars or American Gladiators. ;-) Quotes from Dr. King's speeches and writings were printed on sheets scattered about the apartment, and I read as I ate. I was inspired by how much Dr. King was talking about things I've been thinking about: nonviolent foreign policy; the deficiencies of capitalism; the ease of ruling over a fearful, fractured people. I think I was still sad that his words were as relevant now as 45 years ago.
But I didn't stay sad; the discussion was uplifting, and I daresay, revolutionary. It was a discussion about power - our power to change the world by making the choice to live our espoused values. And it was a discussion about love - that love and power are not mutually exclusive; that power without love is irresponsible and tyrannical; and that love without power is ineffectual and sentimental. But love and power, love as an active movement to do what is best for those you seek to love and to put your whole self into it - that is enough to change the world.
It's power that the authorities hate, the kind of dangerous power that made the FBI follow Martin King around and tap his phones in the years after the march on Washington. It's the power that overcomes, takes down regimes but then builds nations of peace, that makes us no longer slaves but free. It is power that we all have right at our fingertips, if we would claim it and use it.
What are you doing to honor Dr. King's legacy this week?
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