Beyond Non-Violence: Reflections on The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
JANUARY 20, 2025 | THE CITADEL | LEILANI M. BROWN
Good morning. It is an honor to be with you this morning and to bring remarks on the day we celebrate the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often invoked this powerful metaphor, reminding us that justice is neither quick nor inevitable but requires relentless effort, courage, and leadership. These words are etched in stone at the MLK Memorial in Washington, D.C., standing as a permanent reminder of his enduring vision. If you have not yet visited, I encourage you to do so. The monument is beautiful—a striking testament to Dr. King’s legacy and a powerful reminder that the work of justice is both ongoing and unfinished.
Today, as we gather to honor Dr. King’s legacy, it is no small irony that this day also marks the inauguration. This is a moment that underscores the intersection of leadership, legacy, and the challenges inherent in leading a democratic society. This is a time to reflect on what leadership truly demands—not just in moments of triumph, but in the midst of division, uncertainty, and change.
Leadership, like justice, is often complex, controversial, and deeply human. We revere Dr. King now as a national hero, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1966, a Gallup poll revealed that only 33% of Americans viewed Dr. King favorably—a stark contrast to the reverence he receives today.
Why is that? This was likely because Dr. King didn’t just comfort people—he challenged them. He called out moral contradictions, disrupted systems that perpetuated inequality, and demanded that people confront their own complicity in injustice. As he famously said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. King understood that complicity often comes in the form of inaction, and he called on everyone to take a stand, even when it was uncomfortable or unpopular.
And yet, he persisted. That’s the kind of leadership we’re here to reflect on today—the kind that doesn’t chase popularity but pursues purpose.
As Dr. King often reminded us, America is an experiment. It is unfinished, imperfect, and full of possibility. And you, as cadets, are part of that experiment. This institution, The Citadel, has evolved over time, adapting to reflect the values of an ever-changing society. Your role in this ongoing experiment is crucial as you prepare to lead with courage, service, and the ability to inspire transformation—even when it challenges the status quo.
That is why today, I want to talk about more than marches, more than speeches, and more than the “dream” we all know so well. I want to talk about courage, service, and the kind of leadership that inspires lasting change. We’ll explore not only the well-known aspects of Dr. King’s legacy but also his lesser-known yet equally powerful words and ideas—because they remain as relevant and resonant today as they were decades ago.
And perhaps nowhere is this relevance more apparent than in Dr. King's teachings on service and leadership.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Dr. King’s words here highlight a profound truth: leadership, at its core, begins with service. Peace, like leadership, is not simply an outcome to be achieved but a practice to be embodied, a means as much as an end. It is through humility and love-centered action that leaders earn the trust and respect of those they guide.
Service isn’t passive—it is bold. It demands courage, vision, and often, sacrifice. We see this courage reflected in the story of Charles Foster, the first Black cadet at The Citadel in the 1960s. His admission was not just a milestone in this institution’s history; it was an act of leadership and courage that challenged the status quo and required incredible resilience. It couldn’t have been easy. Foster’s journey exemplifies Dr. King’s belief that service often requires standing firm in the face of resistance, and that true leadership is measured not by comfort but by the willingness to engage with discomfort for the greater good.
Servant leadership, as Dr. King modeled, is often quiet and done in peace, it is done from calm. It doesn’t always seek recognition or reward but instead focuses on the transformative impact it can have on others. It is the kind of leadership that understands the deep interconnection between service, trust, and peace.
I ask you to think about this as you consider your role as a future leader. Let Dr. King’s words remind you that the path to peace is not paved with ease. It requires empathy, action, and a commitment to justice. It requires the courage to lead with humility and the willingness to serve not just your mission, but the people and communities you will guide.
This commitment to serving others extended beyond spiritual and social realms into the practical, everyday concerns of working people.
MLK ON ECONOMIC JUSTICE: LABOR AND POVERTY
Interestingly, Dr. King’s final campaign was with the Memphis sanitation workers—ordinary men demanding dignity in their labor. He famously said: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
If you’ve visited the International African American Museum, you may have seen images of people marching with signs declaring, “I Am a Man.” These bold words were more than a rallying cry—they were a profound affirmation of humanity in a society that often denied their very existence. These visuals remain powerful reminders of a movement that was as much about recognition and respect as it was about economic justice.
Dr. King stood with the sanitation workers in Memphis because he believed economic justice was inseparable from human dignity. This wasn’t merely a fight for better wages or safer working conditions; it was a fight for respect, equity, and visibility.
King’s quote about the street sweeper is often taken out of context, but its meaning is profound. He wasn’t minimizing their work—he was elevating it. His words remind us that every role, no matter how humble, has inherent dignity. True leadership, as King saw it, requires honoring and uplifting the dignity of others, regardless of their position.
It’s striking that Dr. King’s final campaign, essentially his final message to us, was in support of sanitation workers. He reminded us then, as we must remember now, that no work is insignificant, and no worker should be invisible.
Today, as we reflect on King’s legacy, let us think about the firefighters, many of them incarcerated men and women, battling wildfires in California, the essential workers who kept us going during the COVID-19 pandemic, the craft services team that are here today – and thank you! - and even the roles you, as cadets, will play in the future. The dignity of labor applies to all of us, regardless of rank or status.
It is important to note that the fight in Memphis wasn’t just about labor—it was about justice. King’s broader vision, expressed through the Poor People’s Campaign, aimed to address systemic inequities in housing, education, and employment that persist even now. These struggles are not relics of history; they remain deeply relevant as we confront the challenges of systemic poverty, wealth inequality, and the ongoing need to respect and uplift the dignity of work.
Dr. King’s message challenges us—not just to recognize the humanity of others but to actively honor it. As leaders, we are called to respect every individual and lead in ways that uplift humanity. This is the kind of leadership that transforms lives, communities, and, ultimately, society itself.
But such transformation rarely happens overnight as Dr. King well understood.
Resilience and Progress: A Perspective on Change
“Do not be weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.”
In other words, we will get there if we don’t give up.
Change is rarely swift, and progress often feels frustratingly slow. Dr. King knew this well. His Letter from a Birmingham Jail reminds us: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Even the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in 1983 was a hard-fought victory. It took nearly two decades of relentless advocacy, met with resistance at every turn. It required the combined efforts of activists, artists like Harry Belafonte and Aretha Franklin, and the unwavering determination of Coretta Scott King. This holiday isn’t just a day off—it’s a day on. It is a day to reflect, to serve, and to recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of justice and equity.
I offer this example because, sometimes, we forget just how recent these achievements are. You may notice in documentaries or museum exhibits the depiction of the civil rights movement in color photography. These are not colorized images—they are the original photos. Yet, when we view black-and-white photos, it’s easy to think that these events happened in some distant past. But they didn’t. They occurred within living memory—perhaps in your parents’ or grandparents’ lifetimes, or even your own.
It is a reminder of what is possible and gives us some perspective. And what was possible then remains possible now, though the challenges we face have evolved.
THE LONG ARC OF JUSTICE: POSSIBILITY AND EXPERIMENTATION
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Dr. King saw democracy not as a finished product but as an experiment. Imperfection, to him, was not a cause for despair but a call to action. He understood that leadership means embracing this imperfection and working to make the world better, step by step.
As cadets, your leadership extends beyond borders. Today’s challenges are not confined to a single nation and they are not “other people’s problems”. These are shared challenges – things like climate change, the refugee crisis, human rights violations, and economic inequality require a global response.
It means seeking understanding before judgment. It means holding yourself accountable to both moral and ethical principles. And it means acting with courage, even when the right path is not the easiest one.
Yet as we consider these challenges, we must also be mindful of how we interpret and apply Dr. King's teachings.
THE CO-OPTING OF KING’S LEGACY
“Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”
Dr. King’s legacy is often oversimplified, reduced to soundbites about dreams and unity while ignoring the sacrifices, resistance, and disruption he demanded. Nonviolence was not passive; it was disruptive. It forced people to confront injustice and demanded meaningful change.
Even as we celebrate Dr. King’s life, we must ask ourselves: Are we at risk of unintentionally co-opting his legacy? Are we focusing only on the parts of his story that feel inspiring while overlooking the challenge he left for us?
One of Dr. King’s most famous statements —“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”—is among the most widely quoted and often misused. Some interpret it as a call to ignore race altogether, using it to defend a colorblind approach to society. But this was never King’s intention. He was not advocating for ignoring race; he was calling for a world where race would no longer be a barrier to opportunity, dignity, and equality. His vision was one of liberation—where systemic racism, prejudice, and injustice no longer overshadowed the inherent worth of a person’s character. To use this quote to dismiss discussions of race or to avoid addressing systemic inequities is to strip it of its true power and context, reducing King’s call for justice to a superficial soundbite.
Let me give you another example. How many of you have heard this song? (Insert a short clip of Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday.) It’s a song many of us know, but do you know the story behind it?
This song wasn’t just a celebration—it was a rallying cry. Stevie Wonder wrote Happy Birthdayto support the campaign for Dr. King’s birthday to become a national holiday. At the time, it wasn’t an easy fight. It took years of relentless advocacy and public pressure to make MLK Day a reality. Wonder’s music intersected with activism in a way that brought public attention to the campaign, mobilizing people to honor King’s vision—not just in words but in action.
All too often, we hear a sanitized version of Dr. King's legacy—one that focuses on dreams while ignoring the sacrifices, resistance, and confrontation he demanded. This superficial understanding is particularly dangerous in our current era. In today's age of instant access to information and rapid technological advancement, we must go beyond mere consumption. We are all called to learn and discern—and there is a difference. Do not abandon the responsibility or the opportunity to do both. Learning without discernment risks shallow understanding, and discernment without learning risks inaction. Both are necessary.
Dr. King’s legacy challenges us to embrace this dual responsibility, leading boldly and thoughtfully in the face of complexity. This combination of thoughtful discernment and bold action is not just an abstract ideal—it's a practical necessity for leadership in today's world. And it leads us to a crucial question: How do we move from understanding to action? From discernment to deed?
A CALL TO ACT WITH VISION AND PURPOSE
“The time is always ripe to do right.”
As we honor Dr. King, his daughter Dr. Bernice King has offered a framework for answering this question. She urges us not to tune out from the world but to lean in—to reflect deeply on what this legacy demands of us today, and then to act with purpose and conviction.
I leave you with four commitments inspired by Dr. King’s vision:
1. Explore the root issues of social ills and sustained ideologies.
2. Educate about and eradicate hate and injustice without soiling your soul.
3. Transform systems that discriminate.
4. Build a Beloved Community and a society with compassion.
I will commit to upholding these principles, and I invite you to do the same.
Leadership is about progress, persistence, and purpose. It’s about embracing the discomfort of change, stepping into the work of justice even when it’s hard, even when it feels uncertain—because it’s the only way to create a better future.
The time to lead is now. The time to act is now. And as Dr. King reminded us, “The time is always right to do what is right.
Thank you.
___________
QUOTES:
1. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
- "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution" - Speech at Temple Israel of Hollywood, California (February 26, 1965)
- Note: King often attributed this concept to 19th century minister Theodore Parker
2. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- "The Trumpet of Conscience" - Steeler Lecture Series, CBC Massey Lectures (November-December 1967)
3. "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
- "A Christmas Sermon on Peace" - Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta (December 24, 1967)
4. "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted..."
- Speech to students at Barratt Junior High School, Philadelphia (October 26, 1967)
- Known as "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?"
5. "Do not be weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not."
- Biblical reference (Galatians 6:9)
- Frequently cited by King in multiple sermons and speeches
6. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
- "Letter from Birmingham Jail" - Written while imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama (April 16, 1963)
7. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
- "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (April 16, 1963)
8. "Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding..."
- "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (April 16, 1963)
9. "I have a dream that my four little children..."
- "I Have a Dream" speech - March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 28, 1963)
- Delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
10. "The time is always right to do what is right."
- "The Future of Integration" - Commencement address at Oberlin College (June 1965)