MLK Reflection

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

When it comes to the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., we can all boldly affirm that he indeed was a prophetic voice to his time and into our time. We shout a strong “Amen!” to his beautiful “I have a dream” speech. But the truth is prophetic voices tend to make us shift uncomfortably in our chairs. They speak truths that hit at our inner core. If we dare to hear, they are voices that require change from our comfortable lifestyles. I know this because these prophetic words of Martin Luther King, Jr. made me shift in discomfort, which is why I wanted to share it.

“The greatest tragedy,” he states is “the appalling silence of the good people.” It is so easy to point the finger and to blame the opponent, the other, the “one over there” when it comes to issues of injustice, war, sexism, racism and all the –isms. And we do. We think, “How can they say that? How can they be like that? How can they believe that?” And perhaps that’s just the problem. We think those questions, and yes, perhaps discuss them among people who already agree with us, but would we dare to speak aloud those injustices? If put on the spot in an unfamiliar setting, would we break the silence?

I have recently come to realize the ways I remain silent in the midst of injustice, and continue to struggle with it. I have literally been trained to swallow my voice or be told over and over again by the system, by peoples, by my groups and by different groups that my voice is not valid. I have been trained to be silent so as not to cause any form of disturbance. And yet, I have come to recognize that remaining silent disconnects me from my own experience and internalize my own oppression.

It is a privilege to speak, but even more than that, it is a privilege to be heard. Where are the places and what are the ways in which we are and can be heard? Will we speak on behalf of justice and mercy issues that bring steps of wholeness to all humanity? Will we advocate on behalf of those who are not seen or are shut out by society? Will we have courage in the face of fear? Or will we try to appease everyone and in doing so, lose our own voice?

The prophecy in these words of Dr. King is that we are in a critical time where good people need to break silence. He is challenging us and daring us to take those risks involved with releasing the oppressed. We must remember that at the heart of the matter, his words and challenge to speak are definitely not easy. The result for those of us who speak might be rejection, becoming outcast, being shut down and shut out of our own circles. It is some form of fear that suffocates our voice into silence in the first place, so what will it take to overcome that fear? Audre Lorde writes:

"I have come to believe over and over again, that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood... My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you... and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us. The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.” (Transformation of Silence into Language).

Indeed, there are so many silences to be broken. So let us hear the prophetic words of Martin Luther King, Jr. for us today and be challenged to bring change to that statement.

May the good people dare to speak.