Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the slaying of Martin Luther King, Jr., a moment that defined the Civil Rights movement. The prophet who addressed the nation was murdered by that same nation, which is not an unusual outcome for prophets in general. In the United States this murder made visible what had existed for decades in our land, from slavery to Jim Crow discrimination to the hard-won battles for civil rights for all people.

 

Those victories, however, have always been eroded by forces that want to turn back the clock. This took place during reconstruction following the Emancipation Proclamation and the aftermath of the Civil War. This happened after legislation of the 1960s such as the Voting Rights Act. Systematic attempts to roll back civil rights continue today. White supremacy exists in subtle and non-subtle forms.

 

It is a temptation to view Martin Luther King, Jr. as an icon of a battle already won for our country. People of all persuasions want to co-opt him as the symbol of their particular cause. But what is most instructive for us today is to remember what sacrifice has been laid on the altar of freedom. Bloody and brutal repression has always accompanied the message of equality for all. This resistance is held in our body politic, no matter how enlightened we fancy ourselves to have become. The battle against ruthless hate is never over. And that battle is the most powerful tribute we can make to a man who fell for the sake of it all.