As a child of the 60s, I lived through — but did not experience — an era of prolific social change in America. I was only a few months old when President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot and just 5 years old when an assassin took Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.
As a young adult, I became obsessed with learning more about the long and arduous push to expose an American hypocrisy. The politics, personalities and philosophies behind such a cause impressed me and fueled my innate hatred for inequality and injustice.
I read books by authors like Taylor Branch, whose three-volume history following King and the civil rights movement from 1954 through 1968 helped me appreciate the incredible journey and the power of non-violent resistance. I even visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and stood near the spot where King took his last breaths.
Marching with citizens both black and white on Martin Luther King Day rekindles that deep sense of appreciation for a cause for which King, and so many others, gave their lives. Their achievements changed a country, although the struggle for full equality continues today.
King’s approach to social change appeared in great contrast to the philosophy of other human rights activists like Malcolm X, a charismatic leader who initially espoused black supremacy and advocated for the separation of black and white. He did not necessarily shy away from violence either, especially in an act of self-defense against white forces. He later changed his views in support of integration.
My study of both men inevitably led me to consider the question: What impact would both men have had on the civil rights movement if they had lived to see old age?
In 1992, I had the opportunity to ask that question to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King. She had been invited to speak as part of a Distinguished Lecture Series at a Texas university in a town where I was living at the time.
Her response surprised me.
Although I don’t recall her exact words, she said she believed that over a period of time the two men would likely have been drawn closer together and reached common ground in a combined effort to fight racial inequality.
Her answer makes sense to me now. Imagine combining the best parts of opposing viewpoints to resolve seemingly insurmountable social issues.
As if a dream could come true.
Vanessa Curry is a reporter for The Daily Herald.