Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Legacy Of Courage & Hope…
“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.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.: A Legacy Of Courage & Hope…
Full MLK: I’ve Been to the Mountaintop Part 3/3
On April 3,1968, the day before he was assassinated, Dr. King addressed a rally at the Mason Temple in Memphis Tennessee. He had delivered a speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” and made a reference to the fact that his flight to Memphis had been delayed by a bomb threat. The excerpt above was his final comment and essentially the last portion of his final public speech to us all. He left with his entourage and checked into Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. Kismet: A Single Garment…
Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King‘s birthday, and today is the designated National Holiday in the USA. While many of us will pause and reflect on the legacy of courage and hope that he shared with the world, others will continue their legacy of hatred and ignorance… Thankfully, the voices of truth, reason, justice, and goodwill are never diminished by the cacophony of the rest. Dr. MLK lived an extraordinary life and made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the Civil Rights Movement would succeed and not become another mirage. His grace, eloquence and prophetic messages/legacy continue to resonate in the lives of many people around the world.
“We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Legacy Of Courage & Hope… March on Washington…
Mahalia Jackson – Precious Lord, Take My Hand
The following day, April 4, 1968, he was in the company of The Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Jesse Jackson and other close friends. Ben Branch, a musician, was also present and scheduled to play that night at an event that Dr King was to attend. According to Jesse, Dr. King’s last words on the balcony before he was murdered were said to Ben. He said, “Ben, make sure you play “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.” Kismet: A Single Garment…
As I worked on this post, I decided to share another important part of his life story. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. loved the hymnal “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and, as the story of his last moment goes, before he was murdered, he turned to Ben Branch, a musician on tour with him and he said, “Ben, make sure you play “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.” Dr. King’s life was not lived in vain. Many of us have opportunities today that were only figments of our imagination during the movement. I am grateful for all the good people around the world who continue the effort to ensure we can live together in peace… More below.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Legacy Of Courage & Hope…
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963
We have all come across many quotes by Dr MLK that we love, and many of us have favorites that we reference from time to time. A few of my favorite MLK quotes (see below) come from the I Have A Dream speech because they speak to a period in history when our dreams were still deferred and not quite our reality:
“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. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As I said in a post I wrote last year about this anniversary, Dr King’s eloquence and courage has always been a source of great fascination and pride to me. It remains my dearest hope that we will continue to honor his legacy and spirit by honoring the best in each other. What are your thoughts? Do Share!
Positive Motivation Tip: We can choose to be a beacon of light in the world or an icon for ignorance and hate; what we believe, we become… Good begets good.
Related articles
- Celebrating Rev./Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2012 (tibitsforthesoul.wordpress.com)
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ An Inspirational Leader (candacereese.wordpress.com)
- Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through Service (whitehouse.gov)
- Kismet: A Single Garment of Destiny (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Reflections: Que Sera Sera… (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (driveheartpassion.wordpress.com)
- Part of The Dream realized….President Obama Speaks to Volunteers on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (reclaimamericafromthelunaticfringe.wordpress.com)
- In Honor of The KING! Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (reignentertainmentco.wordpress.com)
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech: Video (pennlive.com)
- Dr Martin Luther King Jr (recoverynetworktoronto.wordpress.com)
- Dr. Martin Luther King Remembered (newmediarockstars.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., & President Lyndon Johnson, via Wikipedia & Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Trackbacks
- March on Washington – “We Shall Overcome” « Ghosts of DC
- March on Washington – “We Shall Overcome” « Ghosts of DC
- Martin Luther King Jr Quotes: 12 Inspirational Excerpts on Tumblr « Rational Idealist
- What April 4 means to me now | A View From The Middle (Class)
- Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King with Music and More « Positive Parental Participation
- Motivation Mondays: Silence Is Betrayal – #MLKDAY | Mirth and Motivation
- Motivation Mondays: MLK Day – I Have A Dream Speech | Mirth and Motivation
“Good begets good…”
that is all one needs to remember in life. Following a life doing and seeking goodness will surely bring us Home to the One. For a lovely writer:
http://wp.me/p1RzUf-zj
the One Lovely Blogger Award I send to you. Thanks! and enjoy!
Amen to that… What has always given me succor is a statement a spiritual master said: We need God’s grace and People’s grace as both keep our planet alive and thriving… It is the grace of good people that continues to sustain our planet. For that, I am hopeful and grateful. TY! 🙂
Thank you so much, Eliz, for a beautiful post about a beautiful man. I loved the photos and music and speeches you included…this post would make a perfect resource for any parent or teacher.
It is important for us to keep alive his dream…and pay it forward so future generations will enjoy the freedoms and rights he fought so hard to obtain.
It important to keep his words alive and in practice….your post was a very interesting way of going back in time and re living this amazing day.
Thank you
Lovely. Thanks.
What a great man he was.
Elizabeth,
Reading this post brought back so many memories. I lived through those days living in Louisiana. There is so much that comes to mind. Listening to MLK’s voice and words again brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes I wonder what he would think or say if he were still living today. We’ve come so far, yet so much remains to be done. May we all step up to the plate and be counted for good. MLK was a true prophet of our times. Thank you for posting.
I admire him and so does my husband 🙂
Many years ago I visited Memphis. We went to the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was murdered. This was an interesting, intellectual, emotional trip (to the motel). When it came time to enter his room in the motel (he was shot on the porch of the room … as I recall) I kept attempting to enter only to find myself going back down the stairs and sitting and balling. I did this several times, I was never able to enter the room it was so emotional for me.
I was lucky enough this past summer to spend a few days and nights in Harlem, NY. I have always been fascinated by the Harlem Renaissance. During its heyday Harlem may well have been the single most important and most exciting American melting pot for artists. This was an African American Artistic melting pot, it was an American artistic melting pot. Extraordinary literary, dramatic, musical, dance and physical arts came out of this movement. Frankly it still is today. I learned much from my visit. The most important things that I learned were about Malcolm X. As a 60s white girl who had sympathies for the civil rights movement but no physical nearness I had never read or heard good things about Malcolm X. The powers to be in this country are fools. Malcolm X is not who I thought he was. He is a true hero, in his beliefs and accomplishments. I believe we should have a national day to recognize him too. No, he was not nonviolent … but he was treated with contempt and violence … doesn’t matter he is truly a hero.
I read the entire “I Have a Dream” speech for my Communications class and it is powerful! A truly great man.
I remember the night MLK died. We lived in a poverty-stricken part of Omaha, NE. I remember standing on our second-story porch and listening to shots being fired and people fighting. I remember thinking, “This is not what he meant or wanted.” I was thirteen at the time. He was a great man who lived his life dedicated to the difference he could make. What an inspiring person!
Since I was a child I’ve been inspired and moved by Martin Luther King, so much so that I can’t read his words or hear him speak without tears. When I was young, growing up in the south, during the Vietnam War, I needed someone I could believe in who believed himself that Peace was so close at hand it actually is our hand, and our heart.
Muhammad Ali just had his 80th birthday. What makes a little toe-head kid from the south want to be a cowboy and find heroes in a minister and a boxer? “I ain’t got no quarrel. . .”
Thanks for a thoughtful post.
I read this and cried for the struggle that continues in our world today. The voices of hate persist and the good are getting weary. God guide us.
B
It’s been a while since I watched MLK’s I Have a Dream speech. What power. Thanks for the reminder.
Having lived through the King era I continue to pray for his dream to be realized. The vitriol in our world today would make him weep. Thank you Elizabeth for this beautiful reminder of the love we need to recognize in each other.
b
He was a man of great wisdom and character and can teach us all about acceptance and using our voice for good. Such a great post for such a great man.
Wonderful article, Elizabeth. We must never forget this man who achieved so much for so many and still is achieving today.
So much power in his work and his words. Isn’t it amazing that so much of what he had to say will always be strikingly relevant no matter the decade? Your post is a beautiful tribute.
I was 9 1/2 when I watched MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech it changed the course of my life and was one of the factors that gave me my lifelong passion against injustice..
Thank you for a beautiful tribute to a great man. His words certainly do still resonate today.
Thanks so much for the special tribute to this man – I enjoyed all of it….a lot of work that you’ve put in to your post for a very real hero.
Also, I received the Versatile Blogger Award and have passed it to you. I so admire you and enjoy your blogs. I just posted it on myoprahlessons.com and I understand you can take it from there to your site. I know you’ve had many prior awards and you’ll know how to do it but If that doesn’t work for you, let me know and we’ll figure it out. Congratulations!
Thank you. Good begets good. That could certainly could be a testimonial to Martin Luther King. I enjoyed all the references and quotes you pulled together in this post. It was a very respectful tribute.
he was such a great man
great post
We’ve been incredibly blessed to have such a visionary in our midst even for the short time that he was here. Great post, as usual, Elizabeth!
Beautiful post you share on this lovely day. I didn’t have the strength to post mine and still haven’t posted it. God Bless 🙂
I have to play catch up on my many favorite blogs I have miss while been sick!