If You See Something: The Prophetic Legacy of #MLK

Below is the keynote address given by R3 contributor Earle Fisher at the King Day celebration held on April 4 at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. 

I would like to thank the National Civil Rights Museum for the opportunity to speak at such an unforgettable location on such an unforgettable occasion. I would further like to salute the museum for the strides it has made over the years to articulate the story of the seemingly endless struggle for justice and truth in a world that seems to be overwhelmed by injustice and inaccuracy. The recent renovations continue to bear witness to the complexities of righteous representation of a story wrought with hope and despair; joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. The museum is part of the reason I remain hopeful and prayerful that we are advancing into the midst of a time whereby people of good will can push past shallow segmentation and sound bites and embrace the essence and challenge of who we have been and who we are becoming as a people, a nation and a world.

I think the story that is told in this place (not flawless but yet fundamental) is so vital to the faithful formation of future leaders that no one should be able to graduate from an institution of higher education in this city without first taking a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum. I think it should be written into the curriculum at all of our local colleges and universities. As a graduate and employee of a few of the institutions of higher education in the city of Memphis, I have been gifted with a unique perspective that I presume can be helpful in putting this contemporary climate into a more comprehensible context.

During my last semester at Memphis Theological Seminary in 2008, I took a life changing class entitled, “The Rhetoric of Dr. King.” Like many I had heard of and about Dr. King such that I presumed I knew him; as if he was an estranged ancestor who my family wanted to talk about each year at the family reunion. I thought I knew Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., because the mainstream stations played the “I Have A Dream” rift each year in January and February. The mainstream would conveniently leave out the portion of the speech where Dr. King accused the country of “defaulting on a promissory note [of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness] insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.”

But during my sojourn through that course, I was honored to encounter an individual who endured a great deal of criticism, misunderstanding, fear, hatred and other elements that many of us here have encountered and persevered through in order to be in this place and time we stand. To my surprise and delight, I was re-introduced to a figure that had been romanticized and projected as a lot more passive, patient and priestly than he really was. The Dr. King I encountered in that class in 2008 was not simply a dreamer...he was an activist, civic leader, friend, pastor, scholar, father, husband and most of all a prophet.

As an African-American Preacher/Pastor in the Christian Religious tradition, I understand that the terms prophet, prophetic and prophecy are rather ambiguous and misunderstood by the masses. Most of us have encountered a compartmentalized and illegitimate form of prophecy and prophet. We most often associate the term prophet with one who sees into the future and under some mystical divine unction can tell people what will happen before it happens. But this notion over-mystifies and dehumanizes the reality of what a prophet is. It limits Dr. King to only having a dream and a superior approval rating in American culture during the early half of the 1960’s and regrets to put into perspective some of King’s core challenges, critiques and shortcomings. King was not perfect but he will always be prophetic. But he is more akin to the prophetic definition given by theologian Walter Brueggemann who in his writing The Prophetic Imagination, argues that “the task [and role] of the prophet is to criticize the dominant consciousness while energizing communities to move towards an alternative vision of existing.” This is how I have come to see the late great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Dr. King was not just a nice, Negro-preacher turned into professional, peace-making orator. Dr. King criticized the dominant consciousness of his day. King spoke out against unjust wars, rallied against racism, condemned classism and other forms of injustice. As a result, this prophet was vilified, had his approval-rating drop drastically, even among African-Americans and as most of us know well, was assassinated on the mountaintop of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. King was a courageous, intellectually inclined, profound prophet who transcended the systematic lethargy of his time and produced thoughts and practices that most would agree were divinely inspired. 

Therefore, those of us who seek to stand in a similar posture as the prophet King; those of us who seek to evoke the ethos and ethics of such a forerunner for true democracy, liberty and justice for all would serve ourselves well to use the tools we have been given – tools of foresight and insight; courage, creativity and compassion – to not only bring to fruition the hopes, dreams and aspirations of who PBS called “Citizen King” but moreover, to construct a contemporary scene, a vision of equity and inclusion that could guide and direct us beyond that insensitivities and shortcomings of our yesterdays and our shortsightedness about tomorrow.

King talked about what he felt, what he deeply believed and what he saw. And I believe that if we can muster up the honesty, integrity and tenacity that is needed is such a tense, oppressive and exploitative climate, we too can make a positive impact on our communities and our world like Dr. King did.

A few years ago I was at Memphis International Airport going through the security checkpoints when I saw a sign with words that will forever be etched in the archives of my mind. The terror threat level was high and the TSA deemed it necessary to strategically post signs that said, “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING… SAY SOMETHING!” The sentiment of the sign was one of exigency and attentiveness – echoing what Dr. King called “The fierce urgency of now.” But it was not a “sightseeing” spectacle. It was also a call to action, a call to involvement; a call to get one’s hands dirty (if you will). The TSA had concluded that it was not only one group’s job to fight against terror and danger – it was everyone’s job individually and collectively.

What was true that day is still true on this day. Issues of social justice still require our sight, our speech and our collective strength. But there are too many times when people have neglected to look. Or if they did look they neglected to speak. Or if they spoke it was lip service but not life service. For far too long we’ve been blind, silent and disjointed. As a result we’ve found ourselves behind the eight-ball of injustice which has pigeon-held us in both the past and the present.

But no longer is this type of passivity acceptable. I trust that’s why we’re gathered her today – that’s why I’m here today. I didn’t simply come to honor the life, legacy and love of our invaluable American hero Dr. King. I came to carry his mantle. I came to let somebody know what I see. Some of it is disturbing. I see greed on Wall Street that exploits people on Main Street. I see frivolous political posturing on Capitol Hill in the form of filibusters and partisanship. I see negligence and insensitivity in City Hall that continues to demonize and abuse the poor and working class in the name of urbanization and social progress. I see a sophisticated racism, classism, sexism, homophobia and narcissism that masquerades around under the guise of liberty and patriotism. I even seen ministerial leaders who are so insensitive they will raise funds for a jet but won’t lift finger for justice. Some of what I see disturbs me. I see greed, fear, poverty, pain and injustice.

But that’s not all I see. Just like Dr. King, I am a man of faith so, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of coming of the LORD.” I not only see disturbance but I also see some deliverance. I not only see greed but I also see grace. I see streams in the desert. I see crooked places being made straight. I see civil rights soldiers marching in Selma – lets march with them. I see the faith of community activists in Ferguson – lets fight alongside them. I see the boldness of the #BlackLivesMatter movement – let’s build with them. I see a movement manifesting itself in Memphis. I see some hope, courage, love and potential. That’s why we’re here... because together we can see something, say something and do something!!! I SEE SOMETHING… SO I STOPPED BY HERE TODAY TO SAY SOMETHING… AND I ALSO CAME TO DO SOMETHING. I HOPE ALL OF US WILL ALSO DO THE SAME.