Martin Luther King

I Might Not Get There With You

I don't know what it is about this holiday--maybe it's the proximity to New Year's or just the impact that Dr. King had on our generation--but I'm moved to write. The nice thing about blogs, as I've said before, is that it helps to track your thoughts over time. I've written about this holiday before, here.

I'm moved to write now after listening to Michael Eric Dyson on the Tavis Smiley Show discussing his biography of Martin Luther King, I Might Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr who talked about the daily difficulties Dr. King faced. He said that he lived with constant, credible death threats and could only really feel comfortable when he was in room without windows.

And still, he pushed on. He was only 39 when he died. I can't imagine how he would have changed the world if he had lived a full lifetime. Where does this kind of strength come from?

I just finished Lincoln's Melancholy about another American who kept pushing despite incredible odds. These are the kinds of biographies I want to read now. I want to understand that kind of strength.