A day with Martin (MLK)

Altanta's airport and zoo welcome you

For the second time some of my work in faculty development was featured at the Teaching Professor Conference, this year in Atlanta. I went up with three coauthors - some great people - and we happened to arrive a day early. So we spent Friday before the conference (June 1) started touring Martin Luther King Jr's old neighborhood. Given that the Civil Rights movement was not a prominent part of my early education, this was a very informative tour for me. I was glad I was with a couple people who were much more knowledgeable than I about the stories and history.

He was born on the same street where his church was, where he, his brother, his father, and his grandfather preached. The old Ebeneezer church is still standing, but they have built a new church and community center where worship services are held today so that people can tour Ebeneezer.


Downstairs are some folding chairs, displays, and a television interview going through some of the major events that happened at the church. We listened for a while, then headed upstairs.

In the chapel, you can listen to recordings of some of the Reverend's sermons. Sadly, they have not opted to digitally remaster them, so you get the full made-50-years ago-with-bad-static-on-a-mediocre-sound-system effect.

As I listened, toured the various buildings in the complex, and learned more, I became increasingly impressed with his teachings. I already wrote one post on freedom for Notes on Liberty because of some of what I read from him and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

As I work on this post, I notice that when the Reverend Dr. King was killed, he was the same age I am. It's remarkable to think of all he accomplished in so short a time.

(Stained glass windows of Daddy King and Grandpa King.)


Next to the church is a center celebrating the principles of nonviolence he and his wife, Gandhi, and Mandela taught and practiced. I particularly liked principle four: "Suffering can educate and transform people and societies. Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation. Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities." These thoughts immediately recalled to mind similar teachings from Joseph Smith (D&C 98:23-27) and others in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I also pondered a statement made by the Mormon prophet and his counselors back in 1978 to the effect that God has long spoken to and called good men and women all over the world: "The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.” I wondered if the Kings, Nelson, and Gandhi might be more modern examples of these inspired people, called to teach moral truths to bring our nations to a higher level of understanding how to keep the second great commandment.

Later that night was a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the revelation to President Spencer W. Kimball and the twelve apostles that extended the priesthood to all worthy men, regardless of nation or race. It was a wonderful program, particularly meaningful to me after the day's excursion. How thankful I am for the many, including Anthony Obinna who I've blogged about before in Nigeria, who waited and watched for that glorious, promised day.

The home where he was born and raised.