Owen Smith, Staff Writer

Biographer discusses MLK’s legacy, contemporary impact

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Taylor Branch presented the lecture “Myths and Miracles From the King Years” on Tuesday, October 1 at the Law School.  The talk was part of the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture’s year-long series, “Africana World.”

Branch began his talk by discussing his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia, calling himself a “white Southerner who grew up in the middle of it all.”  His roots inspired him to study the Civil Rights Movement and become a biographer of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Civil Rights history is about the future, not the past,” he explained.  Remembering the Civil Rights Movement today matters, because lessons from history may apply to future decisions and endeavours.  Branch compelled listeners to look to the actions the Civil Rights Movement’s heroes as examples of how to respond to contemporary racial problems.

African-Americans living in the South dealt with daunting issues of segregation in such a way that they “transformed the capacity of the country.”  They were entrenched at the bottom of a “formalized caste system” in which segregation was embedded in the culture.  Further, no Southern politician had a platform that explicitly opposed segregation, so African-Americans could not look to politicians for support.  These factors, combined with a lack of voting rights and employment opportunities, helped African-Americans to realize that it was up to them to affect change.

Branch also emphasized the importance of images that were displayed in the media during the movement.  Images of police brutality against helpless African-Americans “broke the emotional barriers” and forced the nation to see the harm being inflicted on human beings.  This gave Americans the ideas that “everybody [had] a role” in this system, and all Americans could work together to end racism and segregation.

“To say ‘in fifty years, there has been no change’ is a myth,”  Branch claimed.  “The world has changed in so many ways in fifty years.”  He cited several examples, including women and the disabled having more legal rights and protection than ever before.  Branch warned the audience, however, to never “let anyone ever convince you that we are in a post-racial society.”

“We live in a democracy that is paralyzed,” Branch said as he began a critique of contemporary American politics.  Speaking to the pervasive nature of race in politics, he was critical of both political parties, and professed that “partisan gridlock is racial.”  Politicians and citizens alike are afraid to talk about race.  Branch claimed that white people are “too afraid” that they will “offend” African-Americans, whereas African-Americans do not want to “diminish their own racial agenda.”

“Even President Obama doesn’t know how to talk about race,” he lamented.

Government, as Branch sees it, is “at a dead end,” and this is “partly our own fault” because we “need to make our message larger” and “tackle problems.”  Historical instances of successfully affecting change, like the Civil Rights Movement, must become models for contemporary problem solving.

The economy, homelessness, education and other major problems in the United States today, Branch said, “need to [be dealt] with…together.”  Partisan gridlock is not the answer; there is a real need for a united and shared understanding of what needs to be done.  Branch elaborated, speaking about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech.  King actually changed the oration as he delivered it at the March on Washington.  The speech, Branch said, originally included a list of grievances, but “these didn’t lift anybody,” so King “launched into his everyday speech” in order to empower the people who were listening.  This principle of empowerment should be applied today.

King also preached “nonviolence education” as a viable solution to hate crimes.  Branch explained that modern society should heed this advice: “We need violence and nonviolence education at universities….People think of nonviolence as training wheels…no, it’s a leadership tool.”  King believed that “nonviolence was the key to hope because nonviolence is the key to democracy,” because “votes run everything, and the sword does not.”

Students in attendance found the lecture both informative and provocative.  “It was radical,” said sophomore Claire Rembecki.  “And as a political science major, it gave me a lot to think about.”  Sophomore Mason Steele added, “It was interesting that he was speaking from his perspective as a white man growing up in the South during this time.”  Steele thought that Branch “certainly raised some good points.”

Branch called the Civil Rights Movement “the greatest miracle of this era.”  African-Americans had “no political benefits of democracy,” but they manipulated the system in order to achieve change.  Branch lauded African-Americans and their initiatives: “Black people opened the gates to freedom, and government followed.”

Owen Smith is a sophomore who just recently declared sociology and American Studies as his majors.  He loves cats, the color orange, and sports of all kinds. Contact Owen at osmith1@nd.edu