Solomea Asfaw, a senior biology major, says she has no problem with the use of quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., by non-people of color as long as they understand the context and sympathize. "If you don't understand it, then it is kind of a problem," Asfaw says.
Last month, a student looked at Chancellor Carol Folt and called her a disgrace. As Angum Check stood in front of the Faculty Executive Council Meeting on Dec. 7, she left no doubt about how she felt Folt should use Martin Luther King Jr.'s quotes.
“Never utter MLK's words ever again," Check said to Folt.
Meeting briefly interrupted by student protesters - some of them leaders of UNC's Black Congress and Black Student Movement. Many faculty members stand in agreement. #wralpic.twitter.com/QYJjx8o0RV
Check, who is an activist, co-chairperson of UNC Black Congress and a recipient of the MLK UNC Student Scholarship, made her position known in the heated aftermath following Folt’s and the BOT's Silent Sam proposal. The scholarship is given to students who "best exemplify Dr. King’s commitment to our society," the scholarship website says.
Check and her peers were protesting the meeting and announcement that millions of dollars would be dedicated toward protecting the now-removed Confederate monument.
This sentiment by Check sparks the question of how acceptable it is to quote Martin Luther King Jr., especially relating to politics — and a question of whether or not it is admissible for white people to use his words.
For senior biology major Solomea Asfaw, it’s all about understanding the meaning of King's words.
“Personally, I don’t have much of a problem with it,” Asfaw said. “I feel like if you understand the context and you appreciate everything that he’s done, and you understand it and you sympathize, it really isn’t that much of a problem.”
Asfaw said if those qualities aren’t satisfied, it’s not a good idea to use his quotes. Other students share a similar opinion, pointing out that it depends on whether or not there is an understanding and respect for the words being recited.
“I feel like I understand both sides of the argument very much,” first-year biology major Ashley Harris said. “But if someone has the wish for what is so important to them to not be shared, then maybe respect that wish by understanding the importance and the heavy weight that the words MLK said, how it can share this big, ultimate meaning that everyone understands.”
Brandon Oby, a sophomore neuroscience major, believes that using quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., is acceptable so long as they are used responsibly. "It's just a matter of where the word is coming from," said Oby.
For some students, like sophomore computer science major Ann Bantukul, it’s heavily dependent on the situation in which the quote is being employed.
“I feel like it really depends on the way they use it,” Bantukul said. “If it’s trying to take it out of context and shape it into something that he wasn’t really for, then I don’t think that’s okay.”
This worry about King’s quotes not being used properly is one that is brought up time and time again.
Indeed, in a quick Google search about MLK quotes being used out of context, you’ll find example upon example of those disquieted by the way politicians have used King’s words. Titles of articles range from “The Gentrification Of MLK: How America Intentionally Misrepresents Our Radical Civil Rights Leader” to “Politicians have abused Martin Luther King Jr's dream” to “Here’s the True Meaning Behind That MLK Quote that Everyone Keeps Misusing.”
Articles like these point out that King’s “I Have a Dream" speech has been used repeatedly out of context to fight against arguments like affirmative action, much to the chagrin of those who don’t want King’s beliefs misrepresented.
On Sunday, during CBS's "Face the Nation, Vice President Mike Pence quoted King's "I Have a Dream" speech to defend Trump's request for funding for the southern border wall, according to The Washington Post.
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“One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy,'” Pence said on CBS. “You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process, to become a more perfect union.’"
On Saturday, in exchange for the $5.7 billion needed to fund the wall, President Donald Trump offered Democrats deportation protections for select immigrants for three years, according to The Washington Post.
“That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on Congress to do,” Pence said on CBS. “Come to the table in the spirit of good faith. We’ll secure our border. We’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward as the president said yesterday to even a broader discussion about immigration reform in the months ahead.”
Sophomore statistics and analytics and economics double major Michael Harvey said he agreed that using the quotes in the correct context is of the utmost importance, as some instances show individuals using MLK quotes for individualistic purposes.
“I feel like people can use MLK quotes, but at the same time, I think it also depends on the agenda that they’re trying to achieve with those quotes,” Harvey said. “I know sometimes some people use it to say everyone should be equal, but there’s underlying tactics behind that, and sometimes they don’t mean the words that they’re saying.”
The consensus for UNC students seems to depend not on who is saying the quote, but in how the quotes are being used. They emphasize the importance of remembering to be respectful and responsible in their usage, and they see the need to really agree with what is being said.
“As long as they are not used in an irresponsible context, whether that be a way that’s kind of demeaning toward Martin Luther King or other people of color, I think it’s OK,” sophomore neuroscience major Brandon Oby said. “It’s just a matter of where the words are coming from.”
