Years ago, during the debate over the creation of a holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., I opposed the idea.
I was wrong, and I’m not just saying that because I get the day off of work now.
My reasons for opposing it were based on some negative things I’d read about his character, and I didn’t like that fact that a man with such flaws would get a holiday in his honor.
I was wrong. Not about the flaws, necessarily, but about whether the man deserved to be honored despite his flaws.
Martin Luther King was a man who believed in the promise of America, and who did his best to see that promise fulfilled. If you haven’t read it recently, go read his famous speech. There’s a lot more in there than “I have a dream.”
The America Martin Luther King believed in is the America I believe in: a country that is supposed to provide liberty and justice for all. In honoring Martin Luther King, we are saying that we want his vision to come true.
The men who founded this country were flawed men; and those who have led it were also flawed. But we elevate flawed men to our country’s pantheon; we overlook their flaws and honor them for the good they did. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln — none of them were perfect.
Neither was Martin Luther King. But his influence was vital in pushing our country toward fulfilling the promise made in the Declaration of Independence.
So I was wrong, and as today is Martin Luther King Day, I decided it was a good time to admit my mistake.
(Note: This entry was originally published on my now-defunct political blog, Attilathepundit.com.)