Lakam chiu biography of martin luther king

Unlike the many people who are upset that Donald Trump is being inaugurated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I see it as a good thing. First, it calls even more attention to the day and its significance.

Second, it is a chance to speculate about what King might say and do if he were alive in the Trump era.

Counterfactual, “what if” history is a trend in the literary world. Trump’s inauguration on the holiday may prompt us to think about what America and the world might have looked like with King alive and well.

Conversely, how did America and the world devolve without him?

King was the kind of leader who comes along once in a lifetime, one with unmatched eloquence and passion.

Lakam chiu biography of martin luther king day 2025 Offering a brief history lesson on the roots of segregation, King emphasized that there would be no stopping the effort to secure full voting rights, while suggesting a more expansive agenda to come with a call to march on poverty. At just 26 years old, King, then a pastor, was chosen to lead the movement because of his powerful speeches and strong moral character. Explaining why his conscience had forced him to speak up, King expressed concern for the poor American soldiers pressed into conflict thousands of miles from home, while pointedly faulting the U. Edgar Hoover , which urged King to kill himself if he wanted to prevent news of his dalliances from going public.

His gift for oratory could energize all kinds of people, including workers, presidents and other heads of state. He possessed visionary insight on the complex racial, social and economic ills as well as their solutions and consequences.

He worked tirelessly to build a grassroots civil rights and social justice movement and serve as its guiding force.

And his charismatic presence influenced people to act on the issues and problems he was working to solve.

How might that play out in the Trump era? To begin with, King abhorred all violence. He most likely would have been deeply pained by the mass gun killings that have become somewhat commonplace in American cities.

Biography of john knox The SCLC felt the best place to start to give African Americans a voice was to enfranchise them in the voting process. His baptism in May was less memorable for young King, but an event a few years later left him reeling. By August , the sit-ins had successfully ended segregation at lunch counters in 27 southern cities. King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, well-trained, and had solid family connections and professional standing.

He would almost certainly have butted heads with the National Rifle Assn. and its ardent backer Trump while lobbying Congress to pass comprehensive gun control legislation.

When it comes to international politics, King surely would have condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine. One can also envision him speaking out against Hamas’ kidnapping and slaughter of Israelis as well as Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians.

He would have called these wars ineffectual, repressive and wasteful, a drain on resources that should go to programs that aid the poor and minorities. On this point, he and Trump, who repeatedly claims he has kept America out of wasteful wars, would likely be in some agreement.

It’s impossible to imagine King not fighting tooth and nail against the rash of voter suppression laws and the GOP’s ploys to dilute Black and minority voting strength, including the assault on the Voting Rights Act.

He’d bump heads with Trump on that.

Lakam chiu biography of martin luther king In , Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. After days of protest, a court finally ruled that such segregation laws should no longer be recognised. Give us the ballot, and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens. He rose to prominence as a leader in during the Montgomery bus boycott when he was selected to take charge to desegregate the bus services.

But Trump would also have a comeback: He’d cite the sharp increase in Black and Hispanic votes for him in the recent presidential election.

King would almost certainly try to prevent the country’s Republican-led rightward sprint, drawing negative attention from Trump and his MAGA coalition. But even he would not have been able to stop the many powerful forces with vested interest in halting or reversing the country’s momentum toward expanded civil rights, labor protections and economic fairness.

The resurgence of overtly racist sentiments, acts and conflicts under Trump would obviously trouble King, who famously hoped for a day when Americans are judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

King would have had to find new ways to challenge the continuing ills of poverty and wealth inequality, which ballooned in the decades after his death.

Even given his superb organizing and planning skills, this growth likely would have been a losing battle.

Had he lived, King’s unshakable commitment to the cause of human rights and economic equality surely would not have diminished. Wherever there was a campaign, march, rally, lobbying effort or event that his presence could boost, it’s a safe bet that he’d have much to say and do.

In the Trump era, there would be plenty to keep him busy.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s latest book is “Day 1 The Trump Reign.” His commentaries can be found at .