Musical artists from the soul-filled, Tamla hit maker, Stevie Wonder to the Irish rebels, now world politicians, U2, have written songs dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. On this Martin Luther King Day, let us not only celebrate the man, but also what he was working towards. And let us not have a myopic vision of his cause. Yes, he strove for equal rights for all. But the latter part of his ministry was also dedicated to labor rights. Let us remember, he was assassinated while he was in Memphis, doing what? He was there supporting striking black, sanitation workers! Also, he had recently started his Poor People’s Campaign, with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was focused on economic issues.
So as we remember MLK, in these times of Wall Street scandals, record bank profits, and a health care crisis, let us remember that his message included issues such as these and he would have sided with the poor and disadvantaged.
