Three Important Facts About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy

Many historical recollections of King’s life omit the intense campaign the FBI waged against him

Today, America celebrates the immeasurable legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister whose tremendous reach and profound impact transcended beyond the pulpit of his Montgomery, Alabama, church to create a civil rights movement of resistance against racial segregation and anti-Blackness in the United States. Dr. King’s achievements and life story have been shared over the decades as a source of inspiration to unify and promote equity and equality among different racial groups. However, while doing so, Dr. King has been depicted as a non-violent pastor and civil rights leader who only promoted patience and compassion for the perpetrators of racial prejudice and White supremacist culture as a solution to eradicate racial inequality.

However, this representation does not portray his varied perspectives as they evolved about racism and protests. Many argue that this was done to shape the current views of future Black protests and social movements and ultimately to condemn, police, and pathologize reactions to racism that are not rooted in love and compassion for those who enact or support racism and White supremacy in America. Furthermore…