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Dr. Kings Drum Major Instinct and the Politics of Ego
One of the most dangerous things to the movement is ego.
If you’re like me, you probably spent some time today scrolling through the endless quotes, think pieces, and social media posts honoring the legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I wouldn’t expect anything less on the national holiday we use to celebrate his birth. Dr. King’s contribution to civil rights, anti-war, and economic justice movements have shaped the way many of us view the world. But on a day that is meant to celebrate his entire legacy and reflect on the ways he spoke truth to power, far too many people focus their energies on his “I Have a Dream Speech” A speech that if we took it for its entirety would be an accurate and sober truth-telling of the state of our nation, but unfortunately has been truncated to push narratives that uphold white supremacy, and an acceptance of systems that hurt Black and Brown people.
Truth be told, Dr. King was and is much more than “I have a dream” and if you truly want to understand the man and have a clear-eyed view of his political analysis, I would…
