Our first full day on our Civil Rights journey was everything I had hoped this experience would be. It was interesting, insightful and significantly challenging to my heart and mind. Our morning was spent at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Center which included a tour of his birth home and the Center for Non-Violence. Our afternoon followed the journey of the Freedom Riders from Atlanta to Birmingham through Anniston, AL. I will post a separate entry for both of these opportunities.
At the MLK Historical Center I was impressed not only by the life of MLK, but also by the power of those who stood beside King as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. It was their willingness to stand bravely beside him no mater the cost or the risk, even when it put their own lives in danger, that was absolutely key to the effectiveness of King as a national and world leader for the cause of justice. Months ago one of you sent me a TED presentation on youtube about what it takes to make an effective leader. The core of that presentation was that when someone steps out as a leader it is actually the person who steps forward to stand beside that person who gives the affirmation and credibility which transforms him or her from a radical loner to a potential powerful influencer for change. The willingness of so many people to stand beside MLK is what made him such an effective influencer for change. There are so many significant leaders in the Civil Rights movement whom most of us know little or nothing about-- Lewis, Abernathy, Bond, Bevel, Farmer, Shuttlesworth, Young, Williams. But their standing beside and working along side of MLK is key to the movement. In our car conversation Jim Vos mentioned to me that in bullying situations it is moderately effective when a potential victim dares to stand up to a bully. Yet, when one other person stands beside that potential victim, I believe Jim said that the bullying stops 98% of the time. That is the power of standing beside. It struck me that in our desire for justice we don't necessarily need to be the person who takes a radical stand. Perhaps the most effective thing we can do is stand along side of someone who has already taken that risk and stepped forward in courage. Our coming along side of that person may be what transforms them from radical loaner to a powerful leader. Who do I need to stand beside for the cause of justice? Who do you need to stand beside for the cause of justice?
One of the places that MLK was greatly influenced was around the dinner table in his home growing up. Everyone was required to be home for dinner each night and the conversation around that table was significant and life shaping. It is around that dinner table that the young children were included in civil rights conversations with their parents and grandparents. How deeply those values were engrained in the children was demonstrated when MLK was 6 years old. MLK went with his father, a very well respected pastor and community leader, to purchase a pair of shoes. When MLK Sr. was told to enter the white-owned shoe store through the back door instead of the front door which was reserved for whites only, he stormed out to the car and told his son something like, "I'll never accept that the races are not equal." At 6 years old MLK Jr. responded with, "Daddy, I'll help you if I can." That commitment which was modeled at home and taught around the dinner table was rock solid at 6 years old. It made me wonder about dinner tables in our culture today. Is anything being taught there? Is the family even together? If not, when is it that we as parents are having those significant, life-shaping conversations? That is a time that we can't lose.
There were so many insightful quotes from MLK Jr. that it is impossible for me to choose one to write. As we are traveling from city to city we are listening to many of his key speeches on CD and hearing so many more profound insights. It would be wise of me to gather many of those quotes in one place...a future project.
Trivia question from the morning...something I never knew. Martin Luther King Jr. was not the name given to him at his birth (so the parallel to the reformer Martin Luther is simply coincidence). At the deathbed request of MLK's grandfather, both Martin Luther Sr. and Jr. changed their first names to Martin when MLK was a child. Does anyone know what his given first name was instead of Martin?
At the MLK Historical Center I was impressed not only by the life of MLK, but also by the power of those who stood beside King as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. It was their willingness to stand bravely beside him no mater the cost or the risk, even when it put their own lives in danger, that was absolutely key to the effectiveness of King as a national and world leader for the cause of justice. Months ago one of you sent me a TED presentation on youtube about what it takes to make an effective leader. The core of that presentation was that when someone steps out as a leader it is actually the person who steps forward to stand beside that person who gives the affirmation and credibility which transforms him or her from a radical loner to a potential powerful influencer for change. The willingness of so many people to stand beside MLK is what made him such an effective influencer for change. There are so many significant leaders in the Civil Rights movement whom most of us know little or nothing about-- Lewis, Abernathy, Bond, Bevel, Farmer, Shuttlesworth, Young, Williams. But their standing beside and working along side of MLK is key to the movement. In our car conversation Jim Vos mentioned to me that in bullying situations it is moderately effective when a potential victim dares to stand up to a bully. Yet, when one other person stands beside that potential victim, I believe Jim said that the bullying stops 98% of the time. That is the power of standing beside. It struck me that in our desire for justice we don't necessarily need to be the person who takes a radical stand. Perhaps the most effective thing we can do is stand along side of someone who has already taken that risk and stepped forward in courage. Our coming along side of that person may be what transforms them from radical loaner to a powerful leader. Who do I need to stand beside for the cause of justice? Who do you need to stand beside for the cause of justice?
One of the places that MLK was greatly influenced was around the dinner table in his home growing up. Everyone was required to be home for dinner each night and the conversation around that table was significant and life shaping. It is around that dinner table that the young children were included in civil rights conversations with their parents and grandparents. How deeply those values were engrained in the children was demonstrated when MLK was 6 years old. MLK went with his father, a very well respected pastor and community leader, to purchase a pair of shoes. When MLK Sr. was told to enter the white-owned shoe store through the back door instead of the front door which was reserved for whites only, he stormed out to the car and told his son something like, "I'll never accept that the races are not equal." At 6 years old MLK Jr. responded with, "Daddy, I'll help you if I can." That commitment which was modeled at home and taught around the dinner table was rock solid at 6 years old. It made me wonder about dinner tables in our culture today. Is anything being taught there? Is the family even together? If not, when is it that we as parents are having those significant, life-shaping conversations? That is a time that we can't lose.
There were so many insightful quotes from MLK Jr. that it is impossible for me to choose one to write. As we are traveling from city to city we are listening to many of his key speeches on CD and hearing so many more profound insights. It would be wise of me to gather many of those quotes in one place...a future project.
Trivia question from the morning...something I never knew. Martin Luther King Jr. was not the name given to him at his birth (so the parallel to the reformer Martin Luther is simply coincidence). At the deathbed request of MLK's grandfather, both Martin Luther Sr. and Jr. changed their first names to Martin when MLK was a child. Does anyone know what his given first name was instead of Martin?
Hi Tony! It's good to see you back in the States and visiting such powerful places. I appreciate the copy and the photos.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to MLK's first name...Michael. I cheated. Brenda
It isn't cheating if I didn't tell you not to google it. Well done!
ReplyDeleteTony, Google the MLK memorial quotes. There's about a dozen or so of them at his memorial in DC. I've got pics of several.
ReplyDelete