The Lasting Legacy and Teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, writers across the spectrum are reflecting on King’s legacy.
"Americans’ Highest Aspirations": The New York Post Editorial Board (Right bias) pondered what King would say about America's "contentious racial landscape." The board cites a number of progressive policies as contributing to "real inequities" faced by black Americans. Outlining King’s work in the civil rights movement and expressing the elements of King’s mission that America still "strives to fully realize," the board concluded, "Martin Luther King’s legacy is that he managed to combat injustice by appealing to Americans’ highest aspirations."
"A Continuation of King’s Legacy": A writer in CNN Opinion (Left bias) compared the America in which King rose to prominence and the America of today, determining the nation faces similar challenges of "racism, war, poverty and violence." The writer determined King’s work continues in the modern day through social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, stating, "as their forerunners did, they continue to press for voting rights, equal education and environmental justice in communities of color – all a continuation of King’s legacy."
"Dignity, Liberty, and Equality": In The Hill (Center bias), the chaplain of the U.S. Senate and a human rights attorney argued that King’s teachings are needed now more than ever as "forces of division surround us, pulling us apart at every turn." Echoing King’s call for Americans to "embrace the dignity, liberty, and equality of all," the writers concluded, "His dream must remain our dream."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Why Martin Luther King Jr.’s sharpest question remains unanswered
Had he lived, Martin Luther King Jr. would be 95 years old this year. The tragic brevity of his life, cut short by an assassin in 1968, remains a testament to the enduring impact he made during his short time on earth.
Although some may find it hard to believe (or wish it to be otherwise), King lived in a political climate and historical era not so different from our own. Civil rights activists were pilloried as anti-American subversives, Communist dupes and an unpatriotic mob, rhetoric echoed in contemporary attacks against Black Lives Matter...
From the Center
Bringing Americans together with MLK’s dream
The U.S. has a proven ability to overcome in times of crisis when we call Americans together around a common national vision. This tradition goes back to the origin of our nation, when the 13 colonies overcame their political and social divisions to secure freedom for future generations of Americans.
In the following decades Americans overspread a vast continent. They reunited a badly divided nation after a terrible civil war. They endured and won two devastating world wars. And they finally addressed the country’s legacy of slavery and racism.
Our...
From the Right
Martin Luther King Jr.: The best of America
Were Martin Luther King alive in 2024 to celebrate his 95th birthday, what would he have to say about his nation’s contentious racial landscape?
Black Americans still face real inequities.
Look at the huge numbers of crime victims, largely black, generated by terrible progressive policies around public safety.
Or the willed decay of America’s public schools, once an engine of black social mobility: the erasure of all standards in order to conceal the failure of unionized teachers to actually teach.
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