Forty years ago today, a single shot rang out near the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. In its wake an American icon crumpled to the ground, bleeding from the neck.
And a few moments later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was dead.
Today many will eulogize this great man. We’ll discuss his great speeches, his legacy of nonviolence, and his tragic assassination. Some will go so far as to practically deify the man.
Of course, that would be to go too far. Dr. King - though a hero - was also a man. Recently released records from a wiretap done by the FBI confirmed two things. First, the man was as unselfish as his public persona would lead one to think. Second, he was unfaithful to his wife, Coretta.
His frequent plagiarizing in college has also been well-documented. So no, King was not a god. He was not perfect. In fact, some of his sins are quite egregious.
He was, like every human being, a man defined by paradox.
He was also a hero.
Forty years later he leaves behind a legacy that still echoes in that unforgettable baritone throughout our nation.
He was perhaps the most courageous public figure of the 20th century - there are few things more courageous than to be beaten time after time only to rise again and continue to embrace the way of non-violence.
Despite repeated attempts to rob him of his dignity, he continually rose again, reminding us of a better way to live and inspiring thousands to embrace it.
Perhaps his legacy is best summed up in the signs carried by the Memphis sanitation workers whose strike was the cause of King’s arrival in Memphis.
They read: “I am a man.”
It’s a simple truth, but one that all human beings are prone to forget when looking at someone different from themselves.
We see labels. Dr. King called on us to see human beings.
He told us 45 years ago about a dream he had of equality for all Americans, regardless of race, creed or ethnicity - today we might add sexual orientation.
Forty years ago Thursday he elaborated on that. He called it the “Promised Land” - an allusion to the Old Testament Hebrews who spent 500 years in exile before returning to their promised land.
And since his untimely death, great strides have been made. Most obvious is that a black man is a serious candidate for the presidency.
One can also see this progress in several major urban centers - such as Atlanta - where many African Americans now work as doctors and lawyers.
The abominable system of Jim Crow, characterized by overt legalized segregation, is largely dismantled.
The Confederate flag, a symbol of injustice as dreadful as the swastika, no longer flies over South Carolina’s state capitol - though it is still featured prominently in Mississippi’s flag.
Yes, we have made progress. We are now closer to King’s promised land than we were on that awful day 40 years ago.
But there is still progress to be made. Sen. Obama’s candidacy has reminded us of this time after time. We were reminded by Geraldine Ferraro’s racist comments that Obama is only in his position because he is black.
But then we were reminded that there is anger on both sides when the Rev. Jeremiah Wright made equally racist statements about Sen. Clinton and the United States.
There is blame to be shared on both sides, although Wright’s comments might be more justifiable - if not excusable - when compared to Ferraro’s.