Is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s message of peace, equality and justice being lost?
It’s a question that has come up as our political realm has become more divided over the past few years. Dr. Michael Jones, the featured speaker at Emporia State University’s King Lecture on Thursday night, says it’s hard to truly find King’s message these days — especially with social media pumping that message and a lot of other messages at the same time.
Jones says King was well ahead of his time in looking at the racial climate of his day and what needed to happen for true equality, and he says King’s message will ring true forever.
However, with a lecture titled “The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Formerly Known as Dr. Martin Luther King,” Jones also delved into King’s shortcomings. Jones says King plagiarized his doctoral dissertation during college, and King was also accused of several affairs before he was assassinated in 1968.
King also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He also received several awards after his death, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
Jones’ main focus at Washington University is currently civic and community engagement, and he says King’s message and methods give him a lot of lessons he can pass on to his students.
ESU closes out its King Celebration Week with a “Lunch On Us” discussion Friday about the civil rights movement. The discussion and free lunch begin at noon at the Memorial Union Blue Key Room.
