It’s King Day! – by Sherrilyn Ifill

King Day is one of my favorite holidays. The very fact that it exists reflects the values that have animated my life and work. A holiday to celebrate a democracy warrior – a Black man who tried with every fiber of his being to show this country the pathway to true democracy, to humanity, and to peace. His dedication to non-violent direct action drew deeply on his Christian faith, on his belief in the Gandhian principle of satyagraha (truth force), and on his profound understanding of the unspeakable and vicious violence of white supremacy. It took courage beyond measure to practice these principles himself, but even more to lead others to embrace it.

Because King was no nihilist. He had no fascination with martyrdom. He valued his own life, and he wanted his people to live. To fight. But to live. He encouraged us to demand in the most powerful ways possible – by putting our bodies on the line, by speaking truth to power, by surfacing the tension that exists wherever there is systemic injustice, by harnessing the power of “truth force,” to demand change.

For this country to celebrate such a man represents a moment when as a nation we chose to lift up to its highest ranks a man – a Black man – not because he was a President, or Cabinet Secretary, not because he felled foreign troops in a battle, or because he built railroads, but because he was a democracy warrior – indeed because he was one of the leaders of a band of the founders of true democracy in this country. Dr. King, Fred Shuttlesworth, Medgar Evers, Bob Moses, Diane Nash, Thurgood Marshall, Robert Carter, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Rev. C.T. Vivian, John Lewis, Constance Baker Motley, Gloria Richardson, Stokely Carmichael, and all of the activists, lawyers, organizers of the Civil Rights Movement advanced one of the most powerful democracy movements this country has ever seen. The King holiday, for me, honors them all.

Lastly, it is a holiday that was created by the people. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and an array of supporters pressed for the King holiday in the face of strong resistance for 15 years. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) introduced a bill for a King holiday in April 1968, four days after Dr. King’s assassination

Over the next decade and a half, Mrs. King, Conyers, and the other members of the Congressional Black Caucus collaborated with activists to launch a grassroots campaign to build support for the holiday, finally submitting a petition with six million signatures to Congress. They faced formidable resistance principally from Representatives and Senators in southern states. But even the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) voted against the holiday (a vote he later said he regretted). The principle opponent was President Ronald Reagan, who made clear his opposition to a federal holiday celebrating King. He reluctantly relented in August 1983, some say as a way to lift his dismal approval ratings among Black Americans.

A month after the bill became law it was revealed that Reagan had shared in a letter that he thought the commemoration of King was based “more on image than reality.” And when asked if he thought Dr. King was a communist, Reagan replied “well we’ll find out in about 35 years.” After his remarks were made public, Reagan called Mrs. King to apologize. (Oh, and it’s now been 43 years. We knew then Mr. Reagan, and we know now).

It would be impossible to overemphasize the powerful role of art in this campaign. Stevie Wonder, one of the most respected, acclaimed, and prolific musicians in the world, then and now, worked closely with Mrs. King on the effort for the federal holiday. He wrote a song, “Happy Birthday,” as an anthem of support for the holiday, and it became the rallying cry for the King holiday movement. He included the song on his “Hotter Than July” album guaranteeing it would widely heard.

That song has become the official birthday anthem in the Black community, sung at birthday parties of Black people of all ages all over the United States. When I hear it ring out in restaurants, both fancy and not-so-fancy – where families are celebrating birthday dinners, it makes me smile and reminds me of the staying power of art.

Some people will shop today. Or just sleep in, I know. Of course it would be good to engage in service and advocacy today. But given the difficulty, the unrelenting assault on our spirits of these days, I hope that Americans will, at the very least, take advantage of the opportunity today to reflect on the significance of this day. Because it matters.

It matters that beginning just days after the devastating assassination of Dr. King, in the midst of mind-numbing grief and profound disillusionment, King’s widow Coretta, Black members of Congress and ordinary people across the country determined that he would be remembered as a national figure of monumental importance to this country. It matters that they demanded recognition and celebration of Dr. King’s legacy. It matters that a day is set aside to commemorate the contributions to this country of one of the greatest democracy warriors of the 20th century – one who was descended from enslaved people, who was born and raised under Jim Crow apartheid, who never amassed any wealth, and whose ministry was to fight for full dignity and citizenship of his people, and in so doing throw a lifeline to the drowning soul of America.

With their marching feet and their signs, with relentless demand, with Congressional testimony, protests, and with a song – ordinary Black Americans demanded King’s recognition at the highest level.

The Civil Rights Movement saved America from drowning. Now this country appears to be going under for the fateful third time. King and those involved in the Civil Rights Movement ushered in this country’s last, best chance to become a true democracy. This is the work that today, Trump, and Vance, Mike Johnson, Kristi Noem, Greg Bovino, Pete Hegseth, and the tech bros. seek to dismantle. They are small men and women above whom King’s legacy towers. Their lives are focused on acquisition, artifice, money, theft, deceit, dominance, and control. They wish to unravel the systems created by the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement – from Claudette Colvin and Diane Nash from Amelia Boynton, and Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses,Dr. King and hundreds more – people who put their lives and bodies on the line for freedom and justice.

Those democracy warriors of the Civil Rights Movement tried to show us the only way forward as a nation. They believed in the possibility of this country – for some, even unto death.

We can celebrate them today. We can recognize that the fruit of their work still lives in this country and in all of us. We have a powerful example before us of how to fight. Relentlessly, with organization and determination, and with the truth force that lives in all of us who allow our souls to connect with our highest calling. Let’s use it today to refresh our spirits for the many battles ahead.

To learn more about the Civil Rights Movement go to:

SNCC Digital Gateway: https://snccdigital.org/

Library of Congress Civil Rights History Project: https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/about-this-collection/

For teaching resources, go to the Zinn Education Project:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/?s=civil+rights+movement

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