TO THE EDITOR:
Having celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s life last week, it seems pertinent that we question what it is we esteem about this man and his vision. Do we marvel at his saintly, nonviolent tactics? Are we humbled by King’s “I have a dream” speech? Do we self-congratulate for living out his dream of racial harmony — the generation far removed from the barbarous racial terrorism characteristic of the era when he persisted in ameliorating race relations?
If so, we must reconstruct the narrative of Dr. King’s life in our collective imagination, affording his life and legacy the deeper engagement it deserves. The entirety of Dr. King’s complicated life cannot be encapsulated in a 15 minute speech on a hot August day. King lived and acted for nearly five more years after that awe-inspiring moment. Freezing Dr. King in 1963, only celebrating what makes us feel good about him, accomplishes nothing. Dr. King’s righteous tenacity doesn’t make him superhuman. He experienced human frailties in manifold ways — but he experienced them like the rest of us.
As UNC students, we must continue the assault upon racial indignities, much like Dr. King would have. Silent Sam’s presence on campus demonstrates pervasive racial insensitivity at UNC. That excuse for a memorial to our unsung heroes only further alienates black students. A continued black presence on campus ensures slavery and UNC’s history of racial animus will never be forgotten. Retaining vestiges of vitriolic racial enmity like Silent Sam or buildings named after racists is unnecessary and regressive.
Kristen J. Maye
Junior
History and African-American Studies
