Let us remember the real Martin Luther King, Jr., not the one often talked about today. All too often he is remembered as a man of peace, as if he was a peace maker, a person seeking to avoid conflict and pushing others to do the same. Unfortunately, MLK is widely known and referred to as a man who preached peace, harmony, and tranquility.
MLK seldom advocated for peace. In fact, I heard him speak or preach over 40 times and the only instance that I can remember him advocating peace was his speech at Riverside Church in 1967 when he came out against the war in Vietnam.
Rather, MLK was often called upon to answer the question, “When will we have peace? (White media and white civic leaders would often ask, when will you and the young people stop your agitation.) His retort was often the following statement,
“Peace is not just the absence of tension. Peace is the presence of justice, and until there is justice, there will be no peace.”
In other words, we will continue our peaceful protests until we get justice.
In Montgomery Alabama in 1956, some people, blacks as well as whites, were complaining about how the bus boycott was destroying peace in the community and how it was destroying good race relations.
In response, MLK preached a sermon on 29 March 1956, entitled, “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious.” Following is a quote from that sermon.
“Yes, it is true that if the Negro accepts his place, accepts exploitation and injustice, there will be peace. But it would be a peace boiled down to stagnant complacency, deadening passivity, and if peace means this, I don’t want peace.
- If peace means accepting second-class citizenship, I don’t want it.
- If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want it.
- If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadening status quo, I don’t want peace.
- If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace. So, in a passive, non-violent manner, we must revolt against this peace.”
Let us remember a man who led a revolt against this obnoxious peace.