Break the Stain Glass
Yesterday, we observed and celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a federal holiday. Timelines and social media feeds were filled with quotations from the good reverend because Dr. King shared gems during his short time here. As we reflect on his message about revolutionary love, let’s break the stain glass.
My friend, Erica, recently shared, “Dr. King was a real, complex, and imperfect person-- far from the unblemished mantle of sainthood that has been draped upon him, making his fight against white supremacy seem magical instead of very real, very dangerous, and very possible.” The imagery of a stain glass connototes “sainthood” because the country that assassinated Dr. King has decorated and manufactured his legacy to fit its needs. Dr. King’s words have been whitewashed and used to dishonor recent Black Lives Matter marches about police brutality. They even “whitesplained” King’s legacy and words to his own son, Dr. King III.
Break that stain glass!
The other problem is that it is difficult to look through stained glass. We do not see Dr. King for the “real, complex, and imperfect person.” His place on this mythical pedestal removes his humanity and perpetuates the disruptive fable that he alone - with some help from Rosa Parks - solved racism, freeing us. It is the perceived absolution from our white supremacist and violent past that reminds us that we need to break the stain glass because:
he was part of a movement, populated with names and daily heroic acts long forgotten
he was human and not a saint
he was deeply influenced by Coretta Scott King, who helped shape his politics around the Vietnam War and economic justice
his dream was never realized because the fight, the work for racial justice and liberation for all continues.
Break that stain glass because we trap both Dr. King and outselves.
