The weakening of our political, legal and social institutions shares striking parallels with the 60s in the United States of America. It is in times such as these, that we benefit most from remembering the words of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: In fact, our currents state of affairs are reminding us now that Dr. King’s work is far from finished. He will be remembered not only for his commitment to the cause of equality for African Americans but also for his profound speeches that moved so many worldwide. Dr. King like Nelson Mandela was a transformational leader who impacted the world and became the voice of the small man. We still have a long way to go for equality and for badly needed leadership to note that the poor in society are dignified human beings that we must pay special attention to.
Decades after King delivered his prophetic words, everything that he stood for, his vision, his dream, his strategies are just as relevant and needed today. There is a general consensus that Dr. King was not assassinated for his civil rights activities of fighting for the political voting rights of black voters and illegal segregation. It is argued that Dr. King was murdered because he was beginning the fight against capitalism. In one interview he noted that “This is a new beginning on the economic front. We dealt with illegal segregation to a great degree, and the political rights of voters, now we are making a beginning on the economic front.” Dr. King was killed the day after he helped poor black sanitation workers in Memphis Tennessee organize a union for better wages and working conditions.
Dr. King called for the redistribution of wealth and the fair treatment of the poor who worked hard despite living from “hand to mouth”. He saw an unequal playing field where persons were given special treatment based on their race and status in society. The issue of income inequality as I alluded to above is more prevalent nowadays more than ever. It is reported that the richest 8 people in the world has as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion.
Below are some of Dr. King’s inspirational quotes on social injustice and income inequality.
“There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a large segment of people in that society who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.”
“We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.”
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
“All labour has dignity.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.”
“It is a time of double talk when men in high places have a high blood pressure of deceptive rhetoric and an anemia of concrete performance.”
“Our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality”
“Capitalism was built on the exploitation and suffering of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor – both black and white, both here and abroad”
“[If] a man doesn’t have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists.”
“It is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive.”
“I feel we are in the midst of the most critical period in our nation and the economic problem is the most serious confronting the negro community. And I might say the most serious problem confronting poor people generally.”
“If I do not stop to help the …. workers, who is looking out for them?”
“We must also realize that the problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.”
“Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.”
My takeaways from Dr. King’s economic policy is that he was not seeking charity for the disenfranchised, but he was demanding a level playing field and fair treatment for the poor in the workplace. His dream is as relevant today as it was during his time. Persons come to work and are instructed to take care of the customers and guests and to do whatever is necessary to make them happy. However, the big question is. Who is taking care of the workers? There is an urgent need for radical change to ensure that the economy works for everyone, not just “a privileged few”. We need more love in business and less of the greed and selfishness that primarily exist.
