Remarks, Martin Luther King Celebration UAMS Chancellor Daniel W. January 14, 2010 Things that are right, that are grounded in truth, justice, morality and firm ethical principles eventually hold the day. In a world that seems to be locked into an ever-increasing pattern of terrorism and violence, it is appropriate that we pause and commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. who dedicated his life to nonviolent change. When I was asked to speak today, I tried to think of what I could add to the volumes that have been spoken and written about Martin Luther King. I am not a historian. I have not personally experienced the discrimination and injustice that he devoted his life to overcoming. But I am a human being and, like all of you, I try to lead my life in accordance with a set of moral and ethical principles. The health professions and our institution are guided by a set of such principles, the same overarching principles that guided Dr. King. In the few minutes available today, I would like to focus on King s ideas and moral principles, how they guided his decisions and actions, and what lessons we can draw from them as health professionals. Martin Luther King Jr. was born and originally named Michael Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15, 1929. Tomorrow we commemorate the 81 st anniversary of his birth. His father, a Baptist minister in Atlanta, took the family on a trip to Germany in 1934 and was so influenced by what he learned about Martin Luther, that he changed both his and his son s first names to Martin. Martin Luther, a German theologian who lived in from 1483 to 1546, initiated the Protestant Reformation. His belief and assertions that man s relationship with God is based solely on individual faith and God s grace and is not mediated by officials of the church challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Luther s adherence to this principle and his teachings lead to his excommunication from the Catholic Church by Pope Leo X and his declaration as an outlaw by the emperor. Luther translated the Bible from Latin into German, thus making it available to everyone an accomplishment that contributed to the standardization of the German language and in many ways contributed to the development of the modern German language. His translation also influenced the writing of the English King James Bible. To be Martin Luther s namesake must have had an influence on young Martin Luther King Jr. King was a gifted student who enrolled in Morehouse College at the age of 15 after having skipped both the ninth and 12th grades. He graduated from college at 19 years of age with a degree in sociology and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pa. He graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951 at the age of 22 and then began doctoral studies in systematic theology at 1
Boston University. Prior to receiving his doctoral degree, however, he assumed the position of pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., in 1954 at the age of 25. He subsequently received his doctoral degree the next year. He had already been present and serving as a pastor in Montgomery for a year when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public transit bus in that same city. Within 24 hours of that event, King helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott which lasted for more than a year until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional on Nov. 13, 1956. So by the age of 26, King had already developed the ideas and tactics regarding non-violent change founded on love for one s fellow man and a commitment to truth and social justice that characterized his leadership until the time of his assassination in Memphis in 1968 at the age of 36. How had he developed such powerful ideas and tactics at such a young age? While I don t know the whole story, it is well documented that while in seminary, King at one point had, in his words, "despaired of the power of love in solving social problems." At this point, he was coincidentally introduced to the life and work of Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi through a lecture given by Mordecai Johnson, president of Howard University, who had recently taken a trip to India and from conversations with Howard Thurman, a theologian and former classmate of King s father at Morehouse College and a faculty member at BU while King was a student there. Thurman had served as a missionary in India and had met and talked with Mahatma Gandhi while there. Gandhi (1869 1948) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, founded upon a principle of total nonviolence which led India to independence from English rule and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across many parts of the world. Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience while an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, during the Indian community in South Africa s struggle for civil rights. He went to South Africa in 1895 and, while there, personally experienced the discrimination directed at individuals of Indian ethnicity. He was thrown off a train at after refusing to move from the first-class to a third-class coach while holding a valid first-class ticket. He was beaten by a stage coach driver for refusing to travel on the foot board to make room for a European passenger. He was barred from several hotels due to his ethnicity. He participated in various activities opposing the unequal treatment received by Indian nationals and was jailed at times for these activities. After his return to India in 1915, he organized protests by peasants, farmers and urban laborers concerning excessive land-tax and discrimination. After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic 2
amity, and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to achieve the independence of India from foreign domination, a goal eventually achieved after the end of WWII. Gandhi spent a number of years in jail in both South Africa and India and died at the hands of an assassin in 1948. Mahatma Gandhi s legacy and impact on the world cannot be overemphasized. His writings are voluminous, but two quotes I see often include a statement that: An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. And that to lead we must all Be the change we want to see in the world. He was uncompromisingly committed to nonviolent means of fostering social change. King drew much from the study of Gandhi. The impact Gandhi had on him is best described in his own words: "As I read, I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance. As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform." King said that "Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics." - 1955. The guiding principles that exemplified King s leadership of the civil rights movement and enabled him to be such a powerful agent of social change are probably best exemplified through his own letter from the Birmingham jail written some years later on April 16, 1963, when he was 34. The Birmingham campaign in the spring of 1963 was designed to pressure businesses to open employment opportunities to people of all races and to end segregated facilities in stores. When businesses resisted and the public sector did not require adherence to current statutes, King launched a series of nonviolent sit-ins and acts of civil disobedience intended to provoke mass arrests and a crisis. The crisis that ensued provoked criticism by many, including members of the clergy. He wrote his letter from jail in response to that criticism and to explain and provide justification for his leadership tactics. This letter really sums up his beliefs regarding the moral imperatives driving the movement. It begins: My Dear Fellow clergymen: While confined here in Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities unwise and untimely. Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries and would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. In this lengthy letter, he goes on to explain: His commitment to direct action Justification for civil disobedience when laws are unjust 3
The need for creative tension to drive positive change His disappointment with those who say he should be more patient and wait The value of extremism His vision of a brighter day when all truly experience the blessings of freedom. I d like to read a few excerpts from this letter. I have taken quotes from longer sections but I think they accurately reflect the overall message of this long letter. He explains the need for direct action: I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored." "I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth." We have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. "We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. " He then goes on to provide his justification for breaking unjust laws: "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all'." "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal." 4
We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was legal. "One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty." His disappointment with complacency and attitude of being patient and waiting: "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate." "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection." "Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with." "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people." "We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." Extremism "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever." "The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Was not Amos an extremist for justice: Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Was not Martin Luther an extremist: Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God. And Abraham Lincoln: This nation cannot survive half slave and half free. And Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal So the question is not whether we will be extremists but what kind of extremists we will be. He went on to write of One Day: 5
"One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence." "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our feardrenched communities, and in some not-too-distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." This is truly a remarkable letter. In it he draws his moral authority through references to: The Old Testament prophet Amos Jesus Christ Apostle Paul Socrates Martin Luther St. Augustine U.S. Supreme Court St. Thomas Aquinas Reinhold Niebuhr, an American theologian The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber Abraham Lincoln Thomas Jefferson And the Pilgrims who first settled in Massachusetts The fundamental principles espoused are: An uncompromising commitment to justice and truth An affirmation that all people are created equal A belief that people long for freedom and that the push for freedom will eventually be expressed That equal treatment is a fundamental right That secular laws at odds with moral truths are not valid. Are not these same principles reflected in the codes of ethics of health professionals? Sanctity of the individual or what is more often called autonony: right of the individual to make informed decisions about their health. That all are entitled to the same care justice and equal treatment. 6
That our patients needs must guide all of our decisions that we must act in their best interest regardless of our self-interest a principle often referred to as beneficence. Truth telling people are entitled to the truth. And in our institutional core values: We have adopted five core values: integrity, respect, teamwork, creativity and excellence. Let s look at the first two.. Integrity: that we will foster and expect honesty and the highest ethical standards in all that we do. Respect: that we embrace a culture of professionalism with respect for the dignity of all persons, honoring the unique contributions provided by a diversity of perspectives and culture The values that guided Martin Luther King in his leadership were deeply rooted in Judaism, Christianity and the writings, teaching and practices of Mahatma Gandhi. Like him and other great leaders, our moral authority derives from our values and the extent to which our actions are guided by those values. Knowing the right thing is rarely the issue; the issue is having the will to always do the right thing. As we remember Martin Luther King and commemorate his life and legacy, let s learn from him. Let s approach all human beings with honesty, integrity, dignity and respect. Let s embrace the richness of our cultural diversity. Let s live out the Gandhian precept that we must be the change we want to see in the world and know that the measure of our lives is not what we get but what we give. 7