James Baquet

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a well-known and extremely controversial figure. The non-violent path he followed to achieve civil rights for blacks and others in America was paved with contention: the confrontations on black access to public space, the jailing of Dr. King and his followers for breaking laws they deemed unfair, and above all, the March on Washington, when 200,000 to 300,000 people gathered to hear Dr. King deliver what has become known as the “I Have a Dream” speech.

    Despite the reverence with which most people regard him today, the techniques he used challenged the status quo, and were very threatening to some elements of society. (If everyone had been accepting of his message, it wouldn’t have been necessary.)

    The third Monday in January has been set aside to commemorate his life, placing it near his birth date of Jan. 15. What some do not realize, however, is that the controversy experienced by Dr. King during his life continued to swirl around this holiday declared after his death.

    For example, the first time the U.S. Congress tried to create the holiday (in 1979, 11 years after his death), they failed. One argument presented against the law’s passage was that Dr. King was a private citizen and had never held public office. Some felt, however, that this was covering up a bias against Dr. King and his work.

    Several years later, despite tremendous public support for the holiday, the wrangling continued, led largely by senators from the American South. But it finally passed in 1983, and the holiday was first observed in 1986.

    But that’s not the end of the story. Several states at first chose not to celebrate the holiday (though all do now). Others have chosen to broaden its emphasis, creating names that included “Human Rights Day” or “Civil Rights Day.”

    But a few states — again associated with the South — took a unique spin. They combined the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday with that of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was born Jan. 19 (in 1807). This waters down the respect shown to Dr. King, honoring a man who fought against the United States a war that is widely understood to be about abolishing slavery.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. (metaphorically) covered with

    2. unjustified hostility

    3. viewpoint, slant

    4. getting rid of

    5. respect, honor

    6. peaceful

    7. situation as it stands

    8. weakens

    9. arguing

    10. move rapidly in a circle