Like every January 15, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s actual birthday and the national holiday (the third Monday in January), I think about what he would think about the things he said as prophet, preacher, pastor, community organizer, activist, civil rights leader and spokesperson, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, friend, disciple and drum major for justice to us, to the world.
He said in his sermon, entitled, “The Drum Major Instinct,” at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he served as pastor February 4, 1968 (two months before he was assassinated), that the drum major’s instinct is to be out front, a desire to lead the parade. Rev. King went on to warn the gathered that this desire for importance can lead to “snobbish exclusivism” and “tragic race prejudice”: “Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior … and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first” (King, “The Drum Major,” 176; 178).
These now sanitized, gritty, and truthful warnings of the prophet Martin spoken to ordinary people now very afraid of daily physical threats and extremely weary of participating in the civil rights movement— dilutes the power of love, truth-telling, justice, and greatness that comes from humble servitude. The sermon continued with a description of a powerful Jesus who looks a lot like humanity that has been pushed to the margins today, accused of being a “rabble-rouser,” “troublemaker,” and failure.
Some will ask, “What does this have to do with now or with me? Brother Martin would tell us everything, and that choosing love over everything will change the world. So, why do we continue celebrating or observing this national holiday?”
For people of faith, this holiday is important for practicing our faith out loud. Even more, we look to King’s life and legacy to regain our sense of beloved community and boldness to stand for justice and truth. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would remind us of his hope-filled word, “We shall overcome because the arc of a moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” (sermon at the National Cathedral, Washington, March 31, 1968, in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, James Melvin Washington (Editor), 1991) And “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,” King intoned. “Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter” (King, “The Drum Major,” 185–186).
What kind of drum major are you?
Valora K Starr is director for discipleship for Women of the ELCA.
Photo of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Wikipedia.com.
