Ibrahim Ramey: What a Prophet, like Martin Luther King, Jr. would have done and said in response to Tuscon
What Would Dr. King Have Said About the Murders in Tucson?
By Ibrahim Ramey
It’s always a little tricky to examine society through the consciousness and vision of people who have already passed away. But as we approach a day of national celebration of the 82nd birthday of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I feel compelled to imagine how he might have responded to the tragic gun violence in Tucson last Saturday.
King was far more than a “Drum Major for Freedom”. He embodied the moral conscience of a generation, and a nation. His understanding of the mutual garment of humanity that enfolds all the people of America, and the world, would have compelled him, had he been alive last Saturday, to make his own pilgrimage to the site of the tragedy to give comfort to the families of those who were slain, and comfort to those who were injured. I am sure that he would have been deeply moved by the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and the assault on the American democratic tradition that was so apparent in this heinous act of violence.
But I believe that Dr. King would have lifted up this tragedy to remind all of us, again, that a nation that spends more on weapons of war than it does on programs for social uplift is a nation that is facing spiritual death. These words, which he uttered in the time of America’s war in Vietnam, would apply just as appropriately now as they did in the decade of the 1960s, because the culture of violence that is so easily exported by militarism and war does, indeed, plant seeds that germinate here at home.
And if a mentally unstable man had easy access to a handgun, Dr. King would have reminded us about the profound danger of a culture that prioritizes the availability of weapons, but often claims to have inadequate resources for caring for the mentally ill.
Prophets, throughout history, have always been those who remind us of our collective moral errors, even (and especially) at times that many find inconvenient. But the lesson we must learn, from the life of Dr. King, is that the violence in our streets, our homes, and the battlefields far from our shores, has manifested itself here in a way that few could have anticipated. If democracy is to be successful, King would have argued, it must be based on the construct of compassionate nonviolence in civil society.
I believe that one meaningful tribute to the life of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would be to initiate, on the holiday celebration of his birth this coming January 17th, a serious national discourse, and a serious national service project, focused on ending the plague of gun violence, and even gun worship, in this nation.
By Ibrahim Ramey
It’s always a little tricky to examine society through the consciousness and vision of people who have already passed away. But as we approach a day of national celebration of the 82nd birthday of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I feel compelled to imagine how he might have responded to the tragic gun violence in Tucson last Saturday.
King was far more than a “Drum Major for Freedom”. He embodied the moral conscience of a generation, and a nation. His understanding of the mutual garment of humanity that enfolds all the people of America, and the world, would have compelled him, had he been alive last Saturday, to make his own pilgrimage to the site of the tragedy to give comfort to the families of those who were slain, and comfort to those who were injured. I am sure that he would have been deeply moved by the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and the assault on the American democratic tradition that was so apparent in this heinous act of violence.
But I believe that Dr. King would have lifted up this tragedy to remind all of us, again, that a nation that spends more on weapons of war than it does on programs for social uplift is a nation that is facing spiritual death. These words, which he uttered in the time of America’s war in Vietnam, would apply just as appropriately now as they did in the decade of the 1960s, because the culture of violence that is so easily exported by militarism and war does, indeed, plant seeds that germinate here at home.
And if a mentally unstable man had easy access to a handgun, Dr. King would have reminded us about the profound danger of a culture that prioritizes the availability of weapons, but often claims to have inadequate resources for caring for the mentally ill.
Prophets, throughout history, have always been those who remind us of our collective moral errors, even (and especially) at times that many find inconvenient. But the lesson we must learn, from the life of Dr. King, is that the violence in our streets, our homes, and the battlefields far from our shores, has manifested itself here in a way that few could have anticipated. If democracy is to be successful, King would have argued, it must be based on the construct of compassionate nonviolence in civil society.
I believe that one meaningful tribute to the life of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would be to initiate, on the holiday celebration of his birth this coming January 17th, a serious national discourse, and a serious national service project, focused on ending the plague of gun violence, and even gun worship, in this nation.
Labels: What Would Dr King Have Said About the Murders in Tucson Ibrahim Ramey
posted by Kevin Anthony Stoda at 4:18 AM
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