Barack Obama Honors Martin Luther King Jr. for 'His Courage, His Discipline, His Vision'
On Instagram today, Barack Obama honored Martin Luther King Jr. in a heartfelt tribute. In his post, he honored King for "the seeds of his courage, his discipline, his vision, and the resilience of all who joined with him took years to bear fruit. But they gave us the Civil Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act. And an American tradition of nonviolent resistance that has rung through the generations, as we saw this summer when Americans of all races echoed his example in standing up to declare that Black Lives Matter—no more but also no less."
He also pointed to the challenges that the U.S. is up against right now. It's been less than two weeks since a mob breached the Capitol, less than a week since Donald Trump's second impeachment, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration is in two days.
"We're in the middle of a tough chapter for our country, but #MLKDay should serve as a reminder that we have been through tough times before—and emerged from them stronger. But only because we never stopped believing in our democracy," he said, in part. "Only because we never stopped working to perfect it."
Read his full tribute below:
If anyone had a right to question whether our democracy was worth redeeming, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Because in the face of billy clubs and lynchings, poll taxes and literacy tests, he never gave in to violence, never waved a traitorous flag, never gave up on the country he called home, despite all of the injustices and indignities it brought upon him. Instead, he set out to realize his dream the most effective—and the most radical—way he knew how, by working with others to march, boycott, and sit in, recognizing that, as he said, "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
The seeds of his courage, his discipline, his vision, and the resilience of all who joined with him took years to bear fruit. But they gave us the Civil Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act. And an American tradition of nonviolent resistance that has rung through the generations, as we saw this summer when Americans of all races echoed his example in standing up to declare that Black Lives Matter—no more but also no less.
On #MLKDay, we celebrate his life but we’re also called to live out his values through service of our own. Here are some ways you can get involved in your community: bideninaugural.org/day-of-service/. We’re in the middle of a tough chapter for our country, but #MLKDay should serve as a reminder that we have been through tough times before—and emerged from them stronger. But only because we never stopped believing in our democracy. Only because we never stopped working to perfect it. And only because, even in the face of intimidation, discrimination, and unimaginable suffering, we never stopped dreaming of a better day—and never stopped doing the long, hard, essential work of ushering it in.
In 2011, King's 30-foot-tall statue was revealed on the Capitol Mall. In October of that year, Obama delivered a speech honoring the late activist.
"Dr. King would be the first to remind us that this memorial is not for him alone," he said. "The movement of which he was a part depended on an entire generation of leaders. Many are here today, and for their service and their sacrifice, we owe them our everlasting gratitude. This is a monument to your collective achievement."
Today, King's daughter Bernice tweeted the following about those who quote her father every year on this day without actually taking action to dismantle systemic racism.
"Please don't act like everyone loved my father," she wrote. "He was assassinated. A 1967 poll reflected that he was one of the most hated men in America. Most hated. Many who quote him now and evoke him to deter justice today would likely hate, and may already hate, the authentic King. #MLK"
Please don’t act like everyone loved my father. He was assassinated. A 1967 poll reflected that he was one of the most hated men in America. Most hated. Many who quote him now and evoke him to deter justice today would likely hate, and may already hate, the authentic King. #MLK pic.twitter.com/yGdQXL5MJ3
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 18, 2021
She also urged those who are honoring her father's memory today to do the same for her mother, Coretta Scott King, the founder of The King Center.
"As you honor my father today, please honor my mother, as well," she wrote. "She was the architect of the King Legacy and founder of @TheKingCenter, which she founded less than three months after Daddy died. Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no #MLKDay. #MLK #BelovedCommunity."
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