MLK in 2022: ‘Has the hour yet come to get rid of racism?’
How do King’s words, life and legacy resonate in our current times? Community members sound off.
MLK in 2022: ‘Has the hour yet come to get rid of racism?’ Read MoreMLK Legacy Section
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Special Section
As you may know, for several years the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) has offered a special Martin Luther King, Jr. print edition in celebration of his legacy.
Providing a space for community voices is very important to us. Each year, in addition to an event calendar, we select a quotation from Dr. King’s extensive writings and ask community members to share their thoughts on the relevance of the quotation or Dr. King’s legacy.
This year (2019) we’ve asked community members the question: How are you living out Dr. King’s dream?
We hope you enjoy the voices gathered here for our special Martin Luther King, Jr. legacy spotlight, and we thank you for your continued support of the MSR.
Black Americans mostly left behind by progress since Dr. King’s death
On Apr. 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while assisting striking sanitation workers. Back then, over a half-century ago, the wholesale racial integration required …
Black Americans mostly left behind by progress since Dr. King’s death Read More
Stevie Wonder’s 1981 call for an MLK holiday
Read Stevie Wonder’s speech on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. January 15, 1981, at the rally calling for an MLK holiday.
Stevie Wonder’s 1981 call for an MLK holiday Read More
Dr. King’s legacy requires us to continue the fight for justice
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy in the 21st Century means rigorously interrogating the U.S. criminal justice system and refusing to accept the high rate of incarceration among African Americans.
Dr. King’s legacy requires us to continue the fight for justice Read More
Not as much as we would like has changed since the murder of MLK
The U.S. is a very different place than it was in 1968. Or is it?
Not as much as we would like has changed since the murder of MLK Read More
No King holiday without Wonder
It has been 40 years since Stevie Wonder penned the up-tempo riff of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song that created a groundswell of support for a MLK Holiday.
No King holiday without Wonder Read More
Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr: ‘Transforming a neighborhood into a brotherhood’
‘ We suffer from a kind of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. ‘
Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr: ‘Transforming a neighborhood into a brotherhood’ Read More
The tour that helped create the MLK holiday
Gil Scott-Heron relates his experience with Stevie Wonder on his 1981 ‘Hotter Than July’ tour in which Wonder advocated and organized for the MLK Holiday.
The tour that helped create the MLK holiday Read More
2020 MLK Community Calendar
Find events in the Twin Cities and beyond to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s enduring legacy as a champion of social and racial justice, equity and equality.
2020 MLK Community Calendar Read More
Remembering Dr. King and ‘The Other America’
In 2019, the two Americas King wrote about still remain. A nation once lauded for its enviable and expanding middle class has evolved into a nation of people who are either growing wealthy or growing poor.
Remembering Dr. King and ‘The Other America’ Read More What would King think of today’s America?
If he were alive, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be wholly disgusted with the American experiment.
What would King think of today’s America? Read More
Government shutdown affecting MLK celebrations across the country
While the Twin Cities may be chock full of events to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the partial government shutdown is affecting observance plans across the country.
Government shutdown affecting MLK celebrations across the country Read More
MLK’s radical message: More than just a dream of brotherhood
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has come to be revered as a hero who led a nonviolent struggle to reform and redeem the United States. His birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. Tributes are paid to him on his death anniversary each April, and his legacy is honored in multiple ways.
MLK’s radical message: More than just a dream of brotherhood Read More
Twin Cities residents share how they are living Dr. King’s dream today
As we celebrate and reflect on King’s ongoing legacy, the MSR took to the streets to find out how various community members are working to live out his dream today.
Twin Cities residents share how they are living Dr. King’s dream today Read More
How to watch UNCF’s 29th Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast featuring Don Lemon
Here’s how to watch a live broadcast of the sold-out affair.
How to watch UNCF’s 29th Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast featuring Don Lemon Read More
The whitewashing of King’s message and legacy
A large deterrent to continued progress is propaganda painting King as a sweet guy with a catchy speech device (dreams are nice) instead of as a skilled and calculating social philosopher torquing deep-rooted gears of American governance and culture to rapidly bring attention to the urgent matters of poverty, racism and war.
The whitewashing of King’s message and legacy Read More
2019 MLK Community Calendar
Find events in the Twin Cities and beyond to celebrate Dr. King’s enduring legacy as a champion of social and racial justice, equity and equality.
2019 MLK Community Calendar Read More
55 years later, much work is needed to fulfill Dr. King’s dream in Minnesota
Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at a time where the words he spoke were radical, important, and needing to be both …
55 years later, much work is needed to fulfill Dr. King’s dream in Minnesota Read More
Dream a better world into reality
Most of Dr. King’s speech sometimes feels lost — the words “I have a dream” dominate our collective memory — so allow me to revive, at least, one other sentence …
Dream a better world into reality Read More
We must grasp the fierce urgency of now
“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or …
We must grasp the fierce urgency of now Read More