King's Dream: The Legacy of Martin Luther King’s
Martin Luther King, Jr was one of the greatest leaders in the twentieth century. He packed a lot of living in the 39 years he had on this earth. King was also awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. He was featured as Time magazine’s “Man of the Year,” and had an audience with Pope Paul VI. He had a vision for racial harmony and his charisma and eloquence allowed him to galvanize thousands of blacks and whites to press for social change. Below are life lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr allowed “I Have a Dream” to flow through him. You see he had a prepared speech, but Mahalia Jackson shouted out to him, “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin.” What are you holding inside that you need to let loose. Martin Luther King Jr had talked many times before about his dream, what made this time special? It could be that people needed to hear his message several times before they connect with it. Do you give up too quickly, thinking that people do not care about what you have to say. Keep on going like King did.
Have a large body of work that you can draw on. When Martin Luther King Jr became busy and was traveling a lot, he had a large body of work – speeches, sermons, books, scholarly works that he could draw on. Do you take time to create new work? Do you read books so that ideas will flow through you? When you get ideas, do you act on them to create something new. When times are slow, create, so you have work to pull from when you get busy.
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Have the ability to connect with his audience: Do you know how to connect with your audience? That’s a skill that King Jr mastered. He knew what to say and how to say it. He was eloquent and knew how to masterfully deliver his message. Can you carefully craft and deliver your message the King did — impact? Learn how to read body language, so you can read people.
Take a stand, believe in something: King Jr decried racial injustice. Like Gandhi, he believed in nonviolent resistance. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” He protested courageously and with dignity. What do you believe in? What are you willing to stand up for?
Create a platform: King Jr created platforms from which he could deliver his message. His church was a platform, so were rallies. He made some of his most political statements in his sermons. How do you deliver your message to those who need and want to hear it? Where are your customers gathered? Be there and get to know them.
Know how to make a statement: Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) organized a Montgomery bus boycott to end bus segregation which lasted 382 days – Rosa Parks’ arrest sparked the boycott. How can you make a statement that is effective? You don’t have to get arrested, but think about ways you can be bold. Do something that has never been done in your industry or niche. Study other industries and see what they are doing that could also work for you.
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What’s your legacy? Martin Luther King is dead, yet he lives – there is a day set aside to celebrate his life. After King Jr was assassinated, others took up the struggle in his name. The fight to stop racial injustice and the struggle for rights and equality continued. The fight for black Americans to fully participate and contribute to American society continued. What big thing do you believe in that others will continue after you are dead and gone?
You will fail more often than you succeed: Martin Luther King Jr had a dream, but he did not realize it before his death. Over 50 years later, we are still fighting for racial harmony. He was sent to jail and he had other failures, However, that didn’t stop him. He kept on striving for what he believed in. He had an end goal that he was working toward. What is that one big thing that you are working toward? Did you give up at the first sign of failure? Or did you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and kept going?
King's Dream: The Legacy of Martin Luther King’sKennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil RightsRosa Parks: My StoryWaking from the Dream: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Death and How it Changed America
Take stock of your life: When Martin Luther King, Jr’s beloved grandmother died, the event forced him to look at his beliefs, and he had a crisis of faith. He expanded his Christian beliefs and became more liberal in his interpretation of Christianity. What beliefs are holding you back? In what ways can you expand your thinking about your industry and the work that you do? How open are you to trying something new, perhaps even switching careers?
Know the price you’re willing to pay for what you believe in: Martin Luther King knew that there was a possibility that he would die for his cause, but he persisted. “Once you become dedicated to a cause, personal security is not the goal. It is greater than that. What will happen to you personally does not matter. My cause, my race, is worth dying for,” said king. What are you unwilling to give up? It doesn’t have to have an ending as dramatic as death.
No one is brave all the time: Most of us have an image of Martin Luther King Junior. What you may not know is that he suffered from bouts of depression. He was a target for assassination, wouldn’t you be depressed? It is okay for you to fall apart, but don’t stay in the pits of despair too long. Bad things happen to everyone.
Develop a strategy to speak truth to power: He developed a model for protest and he was a great orator, who spoke the truth. One of Ken Kragen’s strategy for success is to get caught telling the truth. What is your strategy to speak truth to power that will captivate your audience?
Have a positive mindset: My favorite Martin Luther King Jr quote is “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Most people wait for things to be perfect before taking action. But things will never be perfect. Believe in yourself and that things will work out the way they should.
Sources Referenced
King’s Dream
, Eric J. Sundquist
Kennedy and King The President, the Pastor and the Battle Over Civil Rights
, Steven E. Levingston
Rosa Parks My Story 
by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins
Waking from the Dream The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King Jr
by David Chappell
Martin Luther King, Jr’s Death and How it Changed America
by Michael Eric Dyson
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