Columnist Sara Weinberger: Turn toward inspiration for these times

Sara Weinberger

Sara Weinberger

The Martin Luther King Memorial is seen along the tidal basin on the National Mall in Washington, the morning after Hurricane Irene moved through the East Coast on Aug. 28, 2011.

The Martin Luther King Memorial is seen along the tidal basin on the National Mall in Washington, the morning after Hurricane Irene moved through the East Coast on Aug. 28, 2011. AP

By SARA WEINBERGER

Published: 01-19-2025 7:39 PM

The day that I’ve been dreading has arrived. It seems like a twisted and cruel irony that the inauguration of the 47th president falls on the same day that we honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

I choose to see today as a gift, an opportunity to turn away from Trump 2.0, a man who stands for nothing, and turn toward a man who dedicated his life to upholding human dignity. “A man (sic) dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to stand for that which is true,” King said in 1965.

This is not the only time King’s Day has been shared with someone undeserving of reverence. Alabama and Mississippi observe a joint “King-Lee” day to honor the Confederate general born on Jan. 19. Until 2000, South Carolina workers could choose between celebrating King’s birthday and three Confederate holidays. Virginia observed Lee-Jackson-King Day, finally eliminating Lee and Jackson in 2020.

As for me, I am dropping any observance of Inauguration Day this year in favor of drawing sustenance from the teachings of Dr. King. Though we don’t know how the years ahead will unfold, we know enough to be forewarned. This is a crucial time for anyone who, like King, “believes that the goal of America is freedom … (that) our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America,” and that, “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider,” he wrote in “Letters from Birmingham Jail” (1963).

King’s quotations abound on the internet. Some have become mantras displayed on buttons, bumper stickers and T-shirts that read, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” King has become an icon, a sanitized symbol of the civil rights movement in the United States. This one-dimensional perspective erases the depth and breadth of King’s activism.

In addition to fighting for equal rights for African American people, King spoke out against capitalism that “gives luxuries to the classes and takes necessities from the masses.” He wanted to create a system that ensured equal education, universal health care, humane working conditions, and a living wage. King advocated for unionization. In 1968, on the cusp of launching his “Poor People’s Campaign” to end poverty, he was assassinated.

Though one bullet killed him, his enemies abounded. King’s condemnations of Northern racism, including school and housing segregation, as well as his strong criticism of the Vietnam War, led to condemnations of King as “anti-American.”

King championed nonviolence as the definitive weapon in the fight for justice. “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him,” he said in 1958. Thousands of courageous resisters, victims and allies, joined the struggle, exposing themselves to the unimaginable wrath of those who speak the language of hate and violence. This man and his movement for peace, equality, and justice were seen as endangering a white supremacist social order.

I’ve been contemplating the army of nonviolent resisters, black and white, young and old, who so willingly put their lives on the line not just for their own gain, but for the sake of the “beloved community.” From King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”: “I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes … facing jeering and hostile mobs and the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer.”

Inauguration Day 2025 — I ask myself, “Will I have the courage to take a stand against the targeting of immigrants? Transgendered human beings? African Americans? Muslims? My Jewish community? How do I overcome fear? Will we survive?” Again, King’s words offer guidance: “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

Hearing King’s voice, as I read his words, makes me yearn for a leader who stands for justice. In the absence of such a leader, it’s incumbent on all who love freedom, who love this country, to ask yourself, “What do I stand for? Who can I stand with? What am I able to do?”

King’s resistance addressed the injustice toward African Americans, who were deprived of democratic freedoms enjoyed by white Americans. Those who benefited from racial privilege were blind to the reality of the “other America.” We can no longer shut our eyes to the actions of a new administration. We need leaders, but we also need a beloved community of nonviolent resisters.

King’s words can lead us to realize a vision of freedom and justice for all: “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his (sic) convictions, but we must all protest.” Now, more than ever, may we be guided by the words and vision of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sara Weinberger lives in Easthampton.