Give King to the People

On the day designated to honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is appropriate to reflect on his words. When I was younger, the Washington Post used to reprint King's monumental "I Have a Dream" speech in full on the holiday which made that project much easier. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to read King's speech in the paper or for television to rebroadcast more than a snippet of the best American speech of the twentieth century because Dr. King's children have asserted their rights to the copyright on their father's work. Maybe this is one reason why the Washington Post now reports that many know little about King and his work.

This nation has placed very few people honored with a national holiday. We are now in the process of building a memorial to Dr. King on the shore of Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Dr. King is often seen as the man who led his people, as in African Americans, to freedom. However, I believe that is a cramped and narrow view of his accomplishments. Dr. King did not just fight successfully for African-American rights but freed whites from the ungodly and un-American role of oppressors. By demanding that the nation live up to its values, Dr. King showed us a peaceful path through a difficult transition that could have been much more violent than it was.

The National Mall is the closest thing to civic holy ground in America and it is appropriate that we honor Dr. King and his accomplishments there. As we further cement Dr. King's place in America's pantheon of heroes, Dr. King's children could honor their father and assure the greatest possible spread of their father's work by giving the rights to reproduce his works to the American people.