We Are Citizens of the World – Continuing the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We Are Citizens of the World – Continuing the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Opinion Column

By Alicia M. Phidd, Esq.

Tampa, Florida, January 21, 2011-

A lecture series is typically an underutilized program by the community within the immediate vicinity of most universities. However, the University of South Florida (USF) seem to have figured out the needs of its surrounding community because on Thursday, January 20, 2011 the Marshall Student Center Ballroom was bursting at its seams. The Event…Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival (TBBHF) partnership with USF’s Lecture Series. The Speaker…Martin Luther King, III. The Atmosphere…riveting and holding onto to every word uttered.

I had the pleasure of asking Mr. King one question during the reception prior to his lecture. I wanted to know what speech, saying or thoughts he has of his late father during his most private moments. His response was simply remembering the faith his father had and how much of a praying man his father was. He went on to say he remembers, and I paraphrase, standing for justice, for righteousness and for truth in his most private times. This set the tone of the evening for me.

Martin Luther King, III is a humble and fascinating man. He was recently honored by invitation from and is now a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and in 2006 established his own company “Realizing a Dream.” My blog however is not about his traditional accolades but about his message.

He shared with us his true dilemma of whether we should “celebrate” or “observe” his father’s birthday which is a federal holiday. After many anecdotes, several lighthearted moments and a few outbursts of agreement from the crowd, we were given his perspective of how to treat Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday. We heard about his father’s three evils to eradicate which are poverty, racism and militarism. He opined about our legal system with respect to criminals. He believes that it should be called the “Criminal System” instead of the “Criminal Justice System” because “justice” is missing. To bring this point home, he quoted the late Richard Pryor, who said “When you go to the courthouse looking for “justice”, you will find “just us”(us refers to African Americans).” The audience laughed as they equally murmured “true”.

Martin Luther King, III in his own right not only continues the rich legacy of his father but has also created his own. He wishes to see and is working towards society having a “communal atmosphere and attitude” to lift up everyone. His wish list continues with the hopes of every American having a “decent” home and health care. He challenges the current political system to explain how we can “spend on death and defense” and not on “life and the preservation of life.”

He brought us into his life and how he lives by his mother’s teachings that you should “despise the evil act but still love the individual.” This was a poignant moment in his speech because he reminded us that through the ages of 10 until 18, he experienced the death of his father, uncle disappearing and his grandmother being gunned down in church. His perspective of Martin Luther King, Jr. is that we should “give to the next generation.” He views our existence as a “world community” and that we are “citizens of the world.” His parents taught him to love self, family, community and God. When you sit and listen to Mr. King, you can connect the dots of his parents’ unity with how they brought up their children. Coretta Scott King attended Antioch College and the words of the school’s first president Horace Mann lives on and left an indelible mark on Martin Luther King, III…“Be ashamed to die until you have won a victory for humanity.”

Martin Luther King, III believes that we should “observe” his father’s birthday and the defining moment to determine “celebration” will be when we as a nation start to love unselfishly and seeking nothing in return. This is known theologically and philosophically as “Agape” Love.

As usual, I challenge you my reader to ask “What’s Your Cause?™”

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