Today, America honors the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, we will celebrate more than the civil rights movement and more than the legacy of a great man. We will uphold the best of what it means to be American: practitioners of peaceful change, advocates for social justice, and stewards of freedom in the greatest nation on Earth.
As with everything in this country, there are always individuals who find fault in others. Perhaps some seek flaws in greatness because they are unable to accept the courage and determination it takes to lead. I choose to join those who honor Dr. King and his work, and I pray that America is blessed with many more people like him.
Dr. King seized the opportunity for needed change by using rhetoric, not revenge; words, not weapons; brilliance, not bullets. With Dr. King’s help, America addressed the social injustice that could have easily resulted in a revolution in other countries.
As a prosecutor, I am tasked with upholding and enforcing laws — laws designed, in theory, to achieve a social good; to move us ever closer to the end goal of becoming a safer civilized society. There are times, however, when our laws are flawed and unjust.
It seems very fitting and yet a bit ironic that our country — a country of laws — will honor a man who disobeyed the law in order to achieve a greater good. We will remember a man, and an entire movement, for the dignity and restraint exhibited through peaceful marches, sit-ins and gatherings that at times broke the law but, in doing so, civilly pointed out the error of the law.
Dr. King said it best: “I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for the law.”
Perhaps it was only because of that civility, that respect for the law, that this nation was able to truly see the law for what it was. I can’t imagine that any other approach would have had the same effect. As Dr. King said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”
The tactics Dr. King used to bring attention to the civil rights movement provided a blueprint for social change; a blueprint that is a proud American tradition. This strategy has subsequently been used to further the rights of women, of the disabled and of countless other groups seeking equality under the law.
The passage of time allows us the opportunity to better understand the magnitude and importance of Dr. King’s actions; it allows us to truly appreciate the manner in which Dr. King chose to peacefully demand change. His steadfastness not only to the mission to gain equality — in voting rights, employment rights, housing rights, education rights . . . human rights — but also to the method by which he knew those rights would be won is admirable. And while I am certainly not an advocate for breaking the law, I am an advocate for doing what is right.
We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day through the closing of schools and most government offices. Hopefully, as individuals enjoy their day off, they will reflect on the man who is credited with the success of the civil rights movement, they will appreciate his strength and leadership, and perhaps will even smile at the irony of how his peaceful violation of the law lead to change of the law.
Kenneth R. Buck of Greeley is Weld County district attorney.
