MLK Personifies Sacrifice

“Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice"- Martin Luther King, Jr.

When we think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the words that often come to mind are civil rights activist, hero, freedom fighter, great orator, and minister. If you were to scientifically engineer a leader with the ability to inspire people to action and change, without question these would be some of the most essential elements.

But, when I think of MLK one word rings louder than all of the others: sacrifice. Just look at what he gave up for us to have these civil liberties which we're at risk of losing.

Marriages in the spotlight often have to deal with lack of privacy, long periods of separation, gender issues, and temptation. The marriage of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King was no different. It was not uncommon for MLK to be away from home 25 days or more per month. What kind of strain would that put on a college student and his girlfriend, let alone a married couple? There was also conflict between them because Coretta wanted to be more active in the movement rather than just stay home and raise their kids.

MLK didn't just wait around for others to do the work that he was capable of. It's widely known that he was initially resistant to stepping up as a leader. But, once he was into it he kept up the fight. There were many times when he thought about relinquishing his role as a visible leader in the movement to stay in the background. And could you blame him if he had done so? He could have easily gone back to Atlanta, been a preacher or an educator and came home to his family every night. Really, who wants to get beaten with nightsticks, hosed down, thrown in jail, and ridiculed - all in one day? Then turn around and do it again a few days later.

How many of us would be willing to deny our natural instincts to fight back? If you hit me, I'm going to do my best to knock you out. I imagine that you might be the same way. Even as babies we have an innate inclination to protect ourselves when we don't want someone to touch us. Now imagine yourself as a grown person voluntarily letting someone strike you because you believe this is going to be good for your entire country in the long run. I don't know if I could be that committed to non-violent social change.

His gift for arousing an audience with his speeches and his tireless effort are more than admirable. He didn't live to see the fruits that sprang from the seeds he planted. MLK fought for educational equality and now we have more kids than ever who don't even want to go to school. In the 1960's he pushed for bills to be passed that would erase "Jim Crow" and provide equal protection under the law, but in 2008 we have the Jena 6. Dr. King was a champion of dignity and respect, yet we continue to degrade and abuse our women.

As the saying goes, "we have to give up something to get something." For all that he gave up, I wonder if Martin would be happy with what we got.