How Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is Weaponized and Sanitized

Olivia and Raven share the history behind Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and discuss misconceptions about MLK’s impact, how he’s been misremembered, and why quoting him is usually offensive.

 

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Discussion Summary:

01:05: Topic intro, and frustrations with people weaponizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his quotes.

04:13: How MLK Jr. Day became a federal holiday.

08:58: Misconceptions about race relations after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered.

14:18: Believing everything MLK touched turned to gold.

19:30: How Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been misremembered, and the assumption that civil rights legislation ended racial discrimination.

38:05: How MLK quotes are weaponized against Black people.

57:37: Outro.

 

Learn More!

How the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday became a holiday

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-martin-luther-king-jr-s-birthday-became-a-holiday-3

10 Historians on What People Still Don't Know About Martin Luther King Jr.

https://time.com/5197679/10-historians-martin-luther-king-jr/

Martin Luther King, Jr.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr/Legacy

By the end of his life, Martin Luther King realized the validity of violence

https://timeline.com/by-the-end-of-his-life-martin-luther-king-realized-the-validity-of-violence-4de177a8c87b

7 inconvenient truths white people must understand about Martin Luther King Jr.

https://thegrio.com/2021/01/18/martin-luther-king-inconvenient-truths-white-people/

The 15 best quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech

https://www.deseret.com/2013/8/28/20524757/martin-luther-king-jr-day-quotes-i-have-a-dream-speech

 

Episodes Referenced:

Criticizing Our Country, American Identity, and American Propaganda

https://isquared.podbean.com/e/criticizing-our-country-american-identity-and-american-propaganda/

Black Beauty Highlight on Diane Nash

https://isquared.podbean.com/e/black-beauty-highlight-an-unsung-heroine-of-the-civil-rights-movement/

Black Beauty Highlight on Bayard Rustin

https://isquared.podbean.com/e/black-beauty-highlight-a-mastermind-of-the-civil-rights-movement/

Insight On the Side: Can Genuine Friendships Form Across Racial Lines?

https://isquared.podbean.com/e/insight-on-the-side-can-genuine-friendships-form-across-racial-lines/

Are The Helpless Disabled People Ruining It For All of Us?

https://isquared.podbean.com/e/are-the-helpless-disabled-people-ruining-it-for-all-of-us/