During the 381 day boycott, Dr. King’s house was destroyed by fire, he was physically attacked, and he spent 2 weeks in jail for hindering the smooth operation of a bus. However, Dr. King’s leadership, his ability to galvanize the community into sending a message against apartheid in Alabama, was the catalyst for a district court ruling that Alabama’s bus laws were unconstitutional. The United States Supreme Court upheld the decision and Alabama was forced change the laws.

This boycott was the birth of a civil rights leader - some might say the defining moment of Martin Luther King Jr’s life. I don’t know about that. My opinion is his life as a civil rights leader was defined well before that - perhaps by his grandfather. In any case, the rest of Dr. King’s life would be one of perseverance and resistance to continued apartheid in the United States.

Some people indict Dr. King because of the people in history who influenced his political beliefs. To my way of thinking, right or wrong, Dr. King was embracing ideas that ran counter to the system he saw as the foundation for apartheid in America. He wasn’t a communist - that was too God-less. He wasn’t a capitalist - but only Dr. King knows why. We can only guess he sometimes felt a democratic socialism was the answer to apartheid. History corrects that notion without a lot of “what-ifs” and, while I can only guess, I believe Dr. King would recognize that.

Others invoke Dr. King’s name. But, I have not seen anyone who does so and does Dr. King justice. These days, our so-called civil rights leaders don’t resist apartheid; they try to reverse its direction. They don’t fight for equality, but preference. Rather than fight for inclusion, they fight for exclusivity. They don’t look for fairness for the poor, but handouts. They are not civil rights leaders; more like influence loan-sharks.

To me, the most cogent evidence in the different between Dr. King and contemporary “civil rights leaders” is simply this: When Dr King was autopsied, he was said to have the body of a 60 year old. He was 39. Compare that to all of the blabbermouths out there invoking his name - how are they looking compared to their age? What do they persevere?

In order to properly honor the ideals of true equality of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we should all fight to preserve the goals of them. His legacy is not the words he spoke, it’s what we - all of us - do with them.

No Pundit Intended