RACISM + EDUCATION

Some People are Desperate to Hide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Speeches

For racists, the civil rights era was a dark time in American history, one they rather sweep under the rug

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

During the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a household name as he fought against racial segregation and discrimination. By the time he was 35 years old, King had won the Nobel Peace Prize for his "nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice" in America and was known globally for his advocacy, leadership, and grace under pressure. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to teach students about the civil rights era without mentioning Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sharing some text from his speeches. Americans celebrate King’s legacy annually as a federal holiday. Banks close, cities host parades, and organizations typically pledge to keep his dream alive. But, underneath all that pomp and circumstance, White Americans have a complicated relationship with our national hero.

For starters, White people often cherry-pick elements of King's speeches to misrepresent him as a colorblind ideologue, even though he spent his life fighting against the systemic and personal racism Black Americans experience. Over the years, misrepresenting and obscuring King’s legacy has…