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MLK

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Ed Dartford

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I wrote this 17 years ago.

THE MLK BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY

When controversy raged about creation of a MLK Birthday holiday I was against it. I saw his many faults: infidelity, plagiarism (even his memorable "I have a dream" speech) and rabble-rousing advocacy of various left wing causes which I despised. Why should such a man be honored?

At the same time I happened to read a few books about Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Most were paeans to his great character: how after fighting gallantly in a loosing cause, he accepted defeat and almost single-handedly guided southerners into peaceful reconciliation with their former northern foes, while founding a great university. But one book convincingly showed how Lee's reputation, both as a general and as a post-war civilian, had been carefully polished by his biographers, (and by the university trustees) so that the saintly image we know bares little resemblance to the real man.

I was surprised that the MLK Birthday holiday was so quickly accepted in Dixie until realizing that southerners had long celebrated a holiday in the third week of January: Robert E. Lee's Birthday (1/19/07). Few cared what the holiday was called, so long as they got the day off.

But I see a parallel: in both cases we celebrate an ideal which is perhaps beyond achievement. We honor ideals that we associate, perhaps inaccurately, with the men, and as years pass the ideals become more real than the historical persons.

At this point, for me, it does not matter that the "I have a dream" speech was in good measure lifted from an obscure book of sermons. Dr King did a good job of finding the speech, and his delivery was spellbinding. I only wish that present day activists could rise to the ideal that Dr King preached and which we honor in his name.
 

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