Is King Still King?

Is Martin Luther King Jr. still the same “King” he was back then? He is known as an influential and highly respected black leader that paved the way for change. As a matter of fact, today is a national holiday in his honor. However, I recently remembered something from elementary school that made an impact on me.

My seventh grade teacher’s name was Mrs. Mitchell. She is still one of my favorite teachers by far. She was truly passionate about her job and actually cared about each one of us. We used to be her “babies.” I remember one day in class we were talking about black leaders of the past and how they influenced now. This one boy, Tavionne, was messing around in class like he always did, but Mrs. Mitchell got especially mad. I remember the whole confrontation mostly because I had never seen her get so upset.

Mrs. Mitchell: “Boy show some respect we are talking about Martin Luther King Jr. right now.”

Tavionne: “Whatever, I don’t know nothing ’bout no Martin Luther King.”

Mrs. Mitchell: “What is your problem? How can you not know?! After everything our people has gone through to get you the opportunities you have now, you don’t even educate yourself!!! This is a sad day.”

It was dead silent for a while after that. She kept on talking and everyone was listening more intently. When I look back at that moment, it just makes me think how, regardless of race, important it is to honor the past and those that were revolutionary. However, there is a difference between honoring it and living in it. We need to keep working towards progress. King should be honored now as much as he was then.