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This message is right on time. As an AA female in the south attending a predominantly white congregation, it was very disheartening yesterday to hear our pastor praise Dr. King for less than a minute and then turn the service over to a young couple promoting a book. Our pastor says he promotes equality and social justice but it was a slap in the face to ignore the strides Dr. King took to promote justice. I’m in the process of “leaving loud” and finding a congregation where I am celebrated. I may send some points of your post to my pastor.

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In many Black churches, preachers would devote an entire sermon to MLK and themes from his life. It's a big deal in a lot of churches as they take the opportunity to talk about the intersection of justice and the gospel.

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Thank you for this reminder of the full message of Dr King. Just today I read an opinion piece that what some are trying to do in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion is unconstitutional. The fight needs to go on.

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Yes. There is an all-out attack on many of the initiatives and principles for which Dr. King stood (and for which he was murdered).

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I am a school board member in a small Midwestern city. I went through the CRT wars, and I cannot tell you how many times community members have tried to tell the board that Dr. King would be against diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts precisely because his dream was for us people to be judged for the "content of their character." I am sure I don't have to tell you that these same community members have some interesting ideas about Jesus, too.

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I wonder what they would say to these statements by Dr. King's daughter!

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I imagine that Bernice King's suggestion that they would have hated him when he was alive might make them feel... some kind of way.

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Jan 16Liked by Jemar Tisby, PhD

Thank you for this. A few days ago I read Melba Marquez Greene’s perspective on how to honor Dr. King. She’s the mother of Ana who was killed at Sandy Hook. She rightly so fiercely protects her daughter’s legacy. It stayed with me.

https://www.threads.net/@thisgrievinglife/post/C2AC8XurSMt/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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Love Ms. Greene's thoughts! Thanks for sharing!

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Jan 15Liked by Jemar Tisby, PhD

Thank you for all of these reminders.

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Absolutely. It was time-consuming, but appreciated seeing the evolution in her statements from nearly 10 years ago until now.

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Jan 16·edited Jan 16Liked by Jemar Tisby, PhD

I learned so much through this post for respecting Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name (& remembering Coretta Scott King's voice too). (Hope you get rest & vacay, Dr. Tisby & fam!) I was also challenged by Faiths United to Save Democracy's webinar for nonpartisan empowerment of voters (TurnOutSunday.com). In my faith, I looked for a justice or more chronological Bible reading plan for the year. I found the YouVersion plan, ‘Jesus Disciple “Whole Bible” Reading,’ https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/29051

Today my audio/reading convicted me with Bernice King's reminders.

Luke 11: pray Lord's prayer; knock, search, find;

v28: "blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.”; be the light; v39: "your inside is full of greed and wickedness"; v41 "But give from what is within to the poor;"

v42 "you bypass justice and love for God;"

v46 "You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.";

v49 "‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’"

v52 You have taken away the key to knowledge." (NIV, CSB, versions from https://biblehub.com/csb/luke/11.htm)

"Verse of Day:" "Turn from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it." Psalms 34:14 (NASB2020), https://biblehub.com/psalms/34-14.htm

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Timely verses on not only talking about the faith but living it. Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you Dr. Tisby for this. I have the privilege of working with Dr. Opal Lee and Unity Unlimited, Inc. and I've become increasingly aware of how easy it is misappropriate our leaders in the fight for justice. I see it all the time. Everybody wants to pay lip service but few will act. I pray that I too can live in the spirit of Dr. King and express that through the work I do with Dr. Opal Lee.

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