| In honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, I sat down with William Sturkey, a second year Master's student in the Afro-American Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and King historian, to discuss what the King Day means to him as a scholar. In our conversation we talked about the relevance of a national memory, how Dr. King's legacy is taught in schools, and how Dr. King's legacy is affecting the current battle over Affirmative Action. Below is a piece of that conversation. CCH: As a King scholar and historian, how do you think that the way you view Dr. King's legacy and history differs from the average American who learned about him in history class? WS: The way that I view Dr. King is much different from the way that the average American views Dr. King. I think the main reason for this difference is that I have read works and have done research that illuminates the intricate details of King-led protests. Recently, one of the most important things to realize about Dr. King is that he was not alone. The way that Dr. King was taught to me before I entered this field, and imaginably the way he is taught to most, is that Dr. King was this great individual who led his people out of bondage, almost like Moses from the Old Testament. Historians today are well aware of the great contributions of those who helped make his career as a Civil Rights Leader possible. When I celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I also celebrate Fred Shuttlesworth (who is still alive), James Bevel, Bayard Rustin, Jo Ann Robinson, A. Philip Randolph, Ralph Abernathy, and Rosa Parks, just to name a few. Dr. King was far from alone, and in many cases, such as Jo Ann Robinson in Montgomery, or Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Dr. King entered a protest which had already begun and was backed by strong community leaders. CCH: When teaching your Afro-American History course at UW-Madison, do you find that students' awareness of Dr. King is minimal or do they seem to have good grasp of his work? WS: The students here at UW know who Dr. King is and they know that he was a Civil Rights Leader, but they don't know exactly what he did. When teaching my course last semester I was surprised to find that some students had never heard of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham Protest in 1963, or the March on Washington later that summer. They understand that Dr. King was an important Black leader, but they are far from understanding exactly why he was, or how he became so important. CCH: What do you feel is most important to convey about Dr. King's legacy? WS: I think that the most important thing to convey about Dr. King's legacy was the non-violent approach he promoted during most of his career. Dr. King's messages centered on love for oneself and love for others. To me that was most important. CCH: How does your scholarly work relate to Dr. King? WS: My scholarly work questions what we consider successes and failures during the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King certainly had plenty of success, but I am looking back at cities in the South that weren't necessarily touched by the Civil Rights Movement and asking what happened there. CCH: What are your goals in regards to the work you do on Dr. King? WS: One of my main goals is to understand where his politics were going by the time he was killed in 1968. When he was killed in Memphis, Dr. King was beginning to lead a potentially commanding group of low-wage black workers. They wanted better working conditions and higher pay. He was killed a day after suggesting a general strike among low-wage laborers which would have crippled the Memphis economy. Dr. King was moving towards economic rights, which is much more powerful than desegregation in my opinion. CCH: Talk about the importance of a national memory of Dr. King's legacy. WS: The legacy of this country is so often celebrated through its heroes. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, or even Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, or any number of characters John Wayne has played in his war movies are included among these heroes. Martin Luther King represents one of a few Black heroes who have joined that list without having to wear athletic shoes. (Simply put, I'll take as many [Black heroes] as I can get.) However, he is important to mainstream America because his struggle embodies elements of the so-called American Dream better than any of those other men listed. CCH: How do you think Dr. King's legacy affects current battles over Affirmative Action? WS: I think that it has two opposite effects. It helps because Dr. King helped bring the plight of African Americans into mainstream American culture and politics. However, it hurts some battles, because many White people believe that after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black people were placed on equal footing as Whites. Many of them believe that Black people';s problems no longer exist. CCH: Do you think if Dr. King were alive today that he wouldsupport Affirmative Action? WS: 100 percent yes. CCH: What surprising information do you think will come out of Dr. King's secret tomes? WS: I'm not sure how surprising it will be, but possibly information concerning sexual harassment or sexual affairs or information about his involvement with one or more controversial political figures of the 1960s -- perhaps someone considered safe today, but deemed a Communist during the Cold War. CCH: What would you like to see done on MLK day to make people more aware of Dr. King's legacy and work? WS: Parades, fireworks, everyone everywhere should have the day off, readings of his work, and the president giving out a medal in his honor. I guess those are just a few things. One thing I can tell you for sure is that for Black Americans, Martin Luther King Day is a whole hell of a lot more important than the damn Fourth of July. |
| A scholarly commemoration of Dr. King by Keme Hawkins |
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