Who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and why is he still relevant today?

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." A Baptist preacher from Atlanta used this quote in a collection of his nationally listened to sermons, called Strength to Love. Americans, young and old, black and white, are taught about and admire this preacher, or as we better know him as, Martin Luther King Jr. His powerful protests and the justice that he sought for and achieved have become a household "story."

In the United States, Americans celebrate this famed preacher for a weekend and enjoy a day off from school and work, often missing the fundamental core of the celebration. It’s easy to dismiss Dr. King’s acts as “something we would have done” in his position or as unimpactful. But these thoughts come from a lack of answer to this question; “what makes this pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement different from other protesters, different from other wishers and thinkers?”

Americans at the MLK Day Parade. Photo Credit: Collin (Mr. Media)/X (formerly twitter)

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929. His first sighting of desegregation was in the summer before he entered college. Dr. King had visited a northern tobacco farm. Dr. King was shocked that negroes and whites could attend the same church and eat in the same dining establishments. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. weaponized and shaped the power of words and used his preaching and teaching to advocate for African-American rights and national equality.

After Rosa Parks’ arrest in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. King was chosen to lead a boycott against Alabama's city-wide transit system. About the protest, Dr. King stated, “We have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.”

Photo Credit: Anna Annie/X (formerly twitter)

After over a year, Dr. King’s protest came into fruition with the desegregation of the Montgomery transit system. Although he was successful, through the process of activism, Dr. King was arrested, subject to personal abuse, and had his home bombed.

One of his most famous protests, located in Birmingham, Alabama, led to the now famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In these letters, Dr. King famously quoted, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.”

Photo Credit: Kweisi Mfume/X (formerly twitter)

Martin Luther King Jr. also led a march on Washington D.C. that attracted 250,000 participants. And at this march, Dr. King presented his now worldwide known speech, “I Have a Dream.” In the speech, Dr. King expressed hope, saying, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” This dream eventually came true. In the last few years of his career, Dr. King broadened his protests to fight for other relevant issues.

Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a speech. Photo Credit: Capitol Area BSA/X (formerly twitter)

On April 4th, while supporting African American sanitation workers who were on strike, Dr. King was assassinated in the hotel that he was residing in Memphis. The night before he died, at the Mason Temple Church, Dr. King said seemingly in reference to his death, “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

Between the start of his activism career, Dr. King traveled for more than six million miles and gave over 25,000 speeches. And in the entirety of his career, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested twenty times and assaulted at least four times. Dr. King received four honorary degrees, was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963, and at the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King, Jr. at one of his speeches. Photo Credit: SheenalsAPunkRocker/X (formerly twitter)

Martin Luther King Jr. drew inspiration from the peaceful teaching and activism of Gandhi and from his biblical knowledge, to make a nationwide difference. Dr. King stood out from other protesters of his time due to his nonviolent speeches and protests and the fact that he ultimately made a difference.

Martin Luther King Jr. knew and understood the importance of freedom to the individual. In Dr. King's closing speech at the NAACP Emancipation Day Rally, he stated, “I close by saying there is nothing greater in all the world than freedom. It's worth going to jail for. It's worth losing a job for. It's worth dying for. My friends, go out this evening determined to achieve this freedom which God wants for all of His children.”

Now, it is our turn to continue Dr. King’s dream and to strive for the freedom of those unrepresented and in bondage, whether literal or figuratively. In our homes, it is very easy to forget that there was a time when white boys and black girls couldn't learn in the same classroom. But now, it is our duty to address modern day injustices. For whose voices shine louder than the voices of the future?

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Citations

Carson, Clayborne, and David L Lewis. “Martin Luther King, Jr. - Historical Significance and Legacy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 May 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr/Historical-significance-and-legacy.

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Julian Wasser. “Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Encyclopædia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr#/media/1/318311/12356.

NAACP. “Martin Luther King, Jr. | NAACP.” NAACP, NAACP, 2022, naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/martin-luther-king-jr.

National Park Service. “Quotations - Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 29 Apr. 2021, www.nps.gov/mlkm/learn/quotations.htm.

NPR. ““I Have a Dream” Speech, in Its Entirety.” Npr.org, Npr, 16 Jan. 2023, www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety.

The King Center. “About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” The King Center, 2022, thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/martin-luther-king-jr/.

The Nobel Prize. “The Nobel Peace Prize 1964.” NobelPrize.org, 2018, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/.

COP28 Recap - What Was Achieved at the Conference?

COP28 was an exciting and revolutionary conference held from Tuesday, November 30th to Wednesday, December 13th in 2023. Taking place in Dubai, the conference showed negotiators from almost 200 different parties, with 153 heads of State and Government and roughly 85,000 total participants. All of these eager members met to discuss climate plans within the decade. COP, and other conferences, and meetings of a greater organization known as the UNFCCC, or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UNFCCC came into fruition in March of 1994 and has since been meeting yearly through various types of conferences. The organization's events have become among the top newsworthy meetings in recent years as discussed issues are becoming prominent. The ultimate goal of UNFCCC, according to the Convention’s official website, is to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions and to prevent human interference in climate.

World Leaders at the Climate Change Gathering. Photo Credit: cop28uaeofficial/Instagram

The goal of COP (Conference of the Parties), specifically, is to find new solutions for keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees celsius, and to go over previous agreements to reach this goal. In order to reach a worldwide temperature of 1.5°C, global greenhouse emissions need to cut to 43% by 2030. Achieving this has proved more difficult than imagined. The Convention acknowledges that greenhouse gas emissions from less developed countries are only set to increase. Many of these less developed countries lack the incentives, as well as the resources, to transition energy use. In relation to this, certain countries are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and to climate disasters than others. Not all countries are financially strong enough to recover from climate-caused crises. The world is in dire need of greater international security, more readily available jobs, economic growth, accessible worldwide health, and an increase in the empowerment and the encouragement of women.

A Community in the North Rift Region suffering drought. Photo Credit: Ng'olepus/X(formerly twitter)

The Paris Agreement is a legally-binding international treaty that was adopted during COP21 on December 12th, 2015 by 196 affirming parties. During COP28, $700 million was promised in commitment to Agreement promises. Countries also individually communicated promised actions to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement are referred to as NDCs, or Nationally Determined Contributions. Although the words written on the Paris Agreement appear promising and easy to follow, many countries are not following and keeping track of the promises set in the Agreement. The United States, a major contributor, even considered pulling out of the agreement. According to Simon Stiell, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, in order for the agreement to play out, “...all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.” In an attempt to keep track of agreement promises, the Paris Agreement established a technology framework during COP28. The framework will begin in 2024 to actively track and record actions taken towards the battle against climate change. As developed countries were the major contributors to previous usage of fossil fuels, the Paris Agreement pins these countries to pay retributions for their actions. Agreements like the Paris Agreement and like the Kyoto Protocol help keep country progress in check. 

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC speaking at the Cop28. Photo Credit: cop28uaeofficial/Instagram

During COP, solutions for tackling climate change were once again reviewed. Climate mitigation, the act of preventing and slowing down the effects of climate change, was originally the more favored approach and is still currently in use, but only to a lesser extent. Zero-carbon solutions are becoming in-vague among high-emission economic sectors. As time passes, climate mitigation will become impractical. Climate adaptation, finding new ways to adjust to current climate changes, is proving to be the more plausible solution. Mia Mottley, the current Prime Minister of Barbados, an island vulnerable to climate disasters, stated at the Conference of the Parties that it is important to actually adopt pre-established policies on climate mitigation, in order to prevent the loss of more lives. Going past the simple acknowledgement of climate issues, it is necessary to rework our steps and plans before it is too late. As Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general summarized at COP28, “We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We are out of a road — and almost out of time.”

Antonio Guterres, United Nations' Secretary-General speaking at the Cop28. Photo Credit: cop28uaeofficial/Instagram

Climate finance is as equally important as finding climate reaction solutions. For climate mitigation, large-scale investments are necessary to make a noticeable impact. For climate adaptation, funds are necessary to combat the effects of climate disasters. In order to find enough money for climate related financial assistance, several funds have been placed in correlation to COP conferences. During COP28, six new countries pledged money towards the Green Climate Fund (GCF), totalling to $12.8 billion raised over 31 countries. The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) together with the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) received $174 million, and the Adaptation Fund found $188 million raised in funds just during the conference. Although the pledges are a step towards progress and foundation, the money raised from these pledges aren’t enough to meet climate goals. The new climate goal developed during COP28 is $100 billion, and to reach this goal, new plans will need to be put in place, and new funding options will need to be discovered. Funding for UNFCCC plans will need to originate from a variety of sources.

Photo Credit: cop28uaeofficial/Instagram

Apart from raising money towards funding options, COP28 made progress towards boosting medical care quality and food resilience as well as to reducing agriculturally related emissions and methane. Although this progress is necessary and important, progress made is not increasing at a steady enough rate. Simon Stiell commented about the conference in his closing speech: “Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end.” The future awaits as an opportunity for improvement. To reach universal climate goals, it’s important to find stronger plans for action as soon as possible. It’s equally important for countries to be strong negotiators and willing to compromise. We must locate and address the barriers restraining us from making progress and break these barriers. The UNFCCC’s Consultation on the Net Zero Recognition and Accountability Framework and Implementation Plan is an independent meeting designated for addressing implementation issues and limits. The next conference, COP29, will be hosted this year in Azerbaijan from November 11th to 15th, and Brazil will be hosting the following COP30.

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Citations

“Consultation on Net Zero Recognition and Accountability Framework.” Unfccc.int, 2023, unfccc.int/climate-action/tracking-and-recognition.

UN Climate Change. “Recap of the Last Two Weeks at #COP28 as Negotiations Enter the Decisive Final Phase.” Www.youtube.com, 13 Dec. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQzR6n3eiWY.

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UNFCCC. “The Paris Agreement.” United Nations Climate Change, United Nations, 2023, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement.

---. “What Is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?” Unfccc.int, United Nations Climate Change, 2022, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/what-is-the-united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change.

United Nations. “The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Took Place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 13 December 2023.,” United Nations.

United Nations Climate Change. “COP28 Agreement Signals “Beginning of the End” of the Fossil Fuel Era.” Unfccc.int, 13 Dec. 2023, unfccc.int/news/cop28-agreement-signals-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era.

““We Didn’t Turn the Page on the Fossil Fuel Era, but This Outcome Is the Beginning of the End”: UN Climate Change Executive Secretary at COP28 Closing.” Unfccc.int, 13 Dec. 2023, unfccc.int/news/we-didn-t-turn-the-page-on-the-fossil-fuel-era-but-this-outcome-is-the-beginning-of-the-end-un. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.

“What Are United Nations Climate Change Conferences?” Unfccc.int, 2022, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/what-are-united-nations-climate-change-conferences.

Africa, My Favorite Country: The problem with menacing misrepresentation

I very clearly recall my 7th grade year, sitting in my history classroom, eagerly waiting to learn. I remember paying close attention and taking notes on the educational videos that we had to watch. “90 countries were represented by the immigrants,” the video had said, “including Poland, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil…and Africa.” I felt absolutely frustrated after watching that video, absolutely shocked that people still believed that Africa was a country. Spoiler alert – Africa is not a country but is in fact a continent with 54 countries covering 11.73 million miles. After watching the video, I was shocked. couldn’t believe that in a class like History, Africa could be referenced as a country. But even more than that, I couldn’t believe that students who watched this video could imagine Africa being a country. The misrepresentation of Africa in Western Media is a problem that needs to be addressed to raise future and more knowledgeable world leaders. Little information is taught about African history and African culture in schools and African news coverage in the West mainly focuses on poverty and calamities. It is important to acknowledge that current views and ideas on Africa are outdated. Early 1900s missionary accounts and old documentaries are not enough to supplement primary source and physically visible accounts.

Missionaries spread the idea that regular citizens could save the life of a starving African child, or could bless their hearts with holiday presents. International non-profits are forced to exaggerate the continent’s situations to keep their organizations funded. Issues and crises in Africa receive significantly more attention and press coverage than positive happenings and celebrations. Hollywood, as well as contemporary writers, continue to enforce colonial stereotypes, doing whatever it takes to get views on TV shows, books, and movies. Africa is often portrayed as the continent in need of saving, or, as “the white man’s burden.” The “I am African” campaign featured European actors posing as tribal Africans, complete with feathers and facepaint. Although the campaign was supposed to raise awareness for AIDS, the focus on Africa individually sent an almost indecipherable message that Africans are synonymous with AIDS.

When covering African news, news coverage shows no balance between negative and positive occurrences. Western journalists and news shows, when they do dedicate time to African news coverage, often prefer to broadcast negative news rather than positive occurrences because bad news sells better. Remi Adekoya, a Polish-Nigerian and politics teacher at the University of New York, said in an interview with the Guardian, “People feel better about their lives when they hear others have bigger problems than them.” Society prefers not to hear about people living better lives than them and would rather spend time pitying others. As Western media hosts coverage of African slums and of the “neverending” poverty of the continent, stereotypes perpetuated around the U.S., and ultimately, the world, continue to be enforced.

        Humanitarians and scholars also play a role in enhancing these stereotypes, portraying Africa as the dark continent, without mentioning that many of the troubles associated with Africa are the results of colonialism. Because of all of this negative coverage, widespread heart wrenching images, and false information, Africa is deemed as the “worst place on earth.” A continent full of residents to feel sorry for. Of the only 6% to 9% of international coverage related to Africa, about 60% is about the negative aspects of the continent. Black African women in Hollywood are also very scarce. The few women that we have are always prostitutes, refuges, or victims, in dire need of assistance from white saviors. African women are assumed to always stay at home and hide, although they make up 80% of the African work force. African-American men are often portrayed in the media as violent and threatening gangsters, ruining some African boys' views of what they could be. Limiting them to simple “underachievers” and “bullies.”

        As an African not living in the country that I was born in, I have to live my life under these stereotypes. I have to continue to correct people that Africa is a continent and not a country and that my food is not made of human brains. I often have to overperform and work even hard, to receive the same respect as my white counterparts. To prove that I am not stupid and can be taken seriously. Africans who confront the problems of racism and misrepresentation are told that they are too “sensitive.” They are assumed to be defensive, trying to define every African problem mentioned as racial bias. Although only 60% of Africa is agriculture, some people will not believe us when we say that we Africans do not all live in a jungle or desert with tigers and camels running rampant. In my particular story, I have always felt afraid to talk about my country and traditions, or too scared to bring Jollof Rice to school. Because people would tell me that it’s strange or weird, or because people would not care. But now, I know not to be scared. In the West, stories told about Africa describe the continent as a place with neverending disease, war, poverty, and other conflicts. As a world with political instability, corruption, and starvation. But if we Africans begin to tell our own stories and narrate our own history and lives, we can break free from the  bonding shackles of cultural stereotypes.

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Citations

Adeyoka, Remi. "Why Africans worry about how Africa is portrayed in western media." The Guardian, 28 Nov. 2013, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/28/africans-worry-how-africa-portrayed-western-media. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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Araya, Selome. "The misrepresentation of Africa." Pambuzka News, 14 Feb. 2007,w ww.pambazuka.org/governance/misrepresentation-africa. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Bassey, Reginald. A drone image and aerial view of Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. Wikimedia Commons, MediaWiki, 5 june 2019, commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023. This is an aerial shot using the DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone. The area is a part of Ikoyi, an upper-class suburb of the sprawling megacity called Lagos, in Nigeria. Beyond the Lagoon is Victoria Island, and beyond that is the new city being built and called Eko Atlantic City, right by the Atlantic Ocean.

Bork, Paul. "Misunderstanding Africa: the West's misrepresentation of Africa: an insufficient notion of evil seen through the lens of the Rwanda genocide and child slavery in Ghana." Edited by William P. Simmons. KEEP, Arizona State University, 2011, keep.lib.asu.edu/items/150395/view. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Ekkanath, Shivani. "HOW THE MEDIA MISREPRESENTS AFRICAN COUNTRIES TODAY." The Borgen Project, 26 Apr. 2018, borgenproject.org/ how-the-media-misrepresents-african-countries-today/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kunihira, Stella Maris, editor. "Africa in American Media: A Content Analysis of Newsweek Magazine's." Saintmarys.edu, Saint Mary's College, 1988-2006, Michira, James. "Images of Africa in the Western Media." Minnesota State University Moorhead, 23 Dec. 2002, web.mnstate.edu/robertsb/313/images_of_africa_michira.pdf. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.