On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final public address to a raucous crowd that filled the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. King traveled to Memphis to support a strike and lead a protest march for sanitation workers who were pleading with the municipal government for fair and just workers’ rights.
King’s final speech was as eloquent and moving as it was prophetic. And although the context has changed, Dr. King’s words on justice and unity and freedom are as relevant at this point in human history as they were on that stormy night in Memphis.
Over the next few days, perhaps weeks, Matthew and I will spend some time reflecting on King’s last sermon, one that continues to shape and reshape our religious and socio-political worldviews. Given the political happenings of today and the outset of a new presidential administration, we will also, in all likelihood, share some thoughts and hopes for the Obama presidency.
For now, as I watch hundreds of thousands of people crowd onto the Mall in Washington, D.C., I can’t help feeling excitement and pride and anticipation for everything that this day means and the hope that it represents. I pray that we would respond to the words and challenge that Dr. King spoke of in Memphis, “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”
I am thankful for today, and I am hopeful for our country and world.
-DP
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