MLK Resources: Help!

By: Ronan - January 15, 2006

I’m interested in compiling a list of Mormon resources on Martin Luther King. A search at lds.org for “Martin Luther King” does not provide any meaningful hits (alas). So what’s a Mormon to do who wants some LDS-centric reading on Dr. King? Please help me gather resources from a Mormon perspective that specifically discuss Martin Luther King. Here are a few:

Dear Sirs: Greatly concerned over a devastating American tragedy, President Johnson proclaimed Sunday, April 7, a national day of mourning, dedicated to religious services and prayers for peace. Nationwide, prescheduled programs and events were cancelled to report and televise our nation extending empathy to a persecuted minority group, whose Christian leader had been murdered; and sympathy to the bereaved family of Dr. Martin Luther King. Our nation united in prayers for peace, for Christian brotherhood, and wisdom to save our country from riots, arson, plunder, and more deaths.

That is, all except the Mormons.

As usual, the Mormons had a prearranged two-hour world-wide coverage for morning conference. A grieving, frightened world heard our Mormon leaders, in both opening and closing prayers, pray for our Mormon leaders, our Mormon membership, our Mormon missionaries; and the safety of Mormons returning to the Salt Lake Tabernacle for afternoon conference.

Our leaders usually pray for peace and brotherhood. But not April the seventh. The Presidential proclamation was completely ignored. On a world-wide hook-up there was no Mormon sympathy extended to the bereaved King family; there was no Mormon offer of Christian brotherhood and understanding; there was no Mormon prayer for national and world peace. But alas! We met our national crisis by telling the world all problems could be solved by keeping the Word of Wisdom.

Isn’t it time we got off the milk diet and sank our teeth into hard core racial problems, and assumed our portion of guilt for the existing racial war?

Dialogue reported, however, that the Church had not ignored King’s death:

President Hugh B. Brown opened the first session of General Conference on Friday, April 5, 1968, with the following remarks:

“At this time we express deep sorrow and shock at the news of the passing of a man, Martin Luther King, who dedicated his life to what he believed to be the welfare of his people. It is a shocking thing that in this age such a thing could happen. We pray God’s blessing upon his family, his friends, and those associated with him.”

President James O. Mason, of the Atlanta Stake Presidency attended the funeral of Dr. King and when he was unable to deliver the following message from President Brown to the King family, sent it by telegraph:

“The leaders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wish to express to the wife, friends and associates of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., our profound sense of shock and grief. We join hands with all those who see in his death a need for recommitment to all those just principles in which we all believe.”


(Bonus: Here’s that fairly famous speech too.)

9 Comments

  1. It should be noted that Brown’s recognition of King’s passing was not an uncontroversial thing among the leadership of the Church.

    Comment by Greg Call — January 15, 2006 @ 8:47 pm

  2. The second month I was the then-homemaking leader, we focused on Black History Month. I showed them a video of the “I Have a Dream” speech and set out books, etc. We didn’t have crafts or games. We gave everyone a copy of the speech on nice paper. I feel it’s as important to frame and put up as the Proclamation on the Family.

    I am embarrassed that it took Utah so long to recognize MLK Day.

    He has always been one of my heroes, but I realize he did not do what he did alone. But I do think he was born for that particular time to focus on that particular issue. From what I’ve read, he was rather reluctant to take on this cause, but rose to the challenge and stood tall.

    I know he wasn’t perfect, who is, but I’m grateful for him and to him. Good post, Ronan.

    Comment by annegb — January 16, 2006 @ 8:04 am

  3. I assume you don’t want any Ezra Taft Benson quotes, right?

    Wink, wink.

    Comment by NFlanders — January 16, 2006 @ 5:09 pm

  4. Jared R. Demke, and Scott L. Vanatter have a piece on MLKI ” I have a dream” speach broken down in Davidic Chiasmus i found it facinating you can find it here
    http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3500/owmlk.html
    I did see it some where on a blog discussed along with JS writings most people seemed to have trouble with it due to MLK’s character flaws.

    Comment by Monty Thompson — January 16, 2006 @ 8:48 pm

  5. Ned, you crack me up. Too funny.

    Comment by Randy B. — January 16, 2006 @ 9:54 pm

  6. Nice link, Monty.

    OK, so it seems that Mormons don’t really talk about King much, besides rehashing the old Benson-Brown scuffles during the civil rights era. A sister in my ward closed her talk on Sunday by reading “I have a dream.” It was the most moving thing I’ve heard in Church for a while. It’s a shame that Mormons otherwise don’t seem to know what to do with King.

    Comment by Ronan — January 17, 2006 @ 11:37 am

  7. An aside: You could study out is the use of chiasmus in MLK’s speeches. Hear me out…

    So often we dwell on Isaiah, 2 Nephi, and other chiasmus passages in our Institute class rooms. Students are told of how this poetic usage is divinely inspired, a higher form of writing, writing/words of the angels and so on. Talk then often filters to the employment of chiasmus in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

    If our forefathers were divinely inspired, who’s to say MLK wasn’t? His speeches were littered in chiasmus.

    Chiasmus was discovered in the Book of Mormon in 1969 – years after MLKs death. The finding of chiasmus has been used by many as a way to “authenticate” the BoM as divine scripture. Had chiasmus been found and paid more attention to earlier in time, early Saints and scholars may have been more understanding of the possible divine nature of, and open to the words of MLK – and not have taken so long discriminating by race, members of the Priesthood.

    Comment by concierge — January 18, 2006 @ 4:33 pm

  8. correction to:

    years after MLKs death…

    Sorry, replace death with speeches, crusade, or mission” (he died in 1968).

    Comment by concierge — January 18, 2006 @ 4:36 pm

  9. I like MLK’s “Ive been to the ‘Mountain’ ” speach the day before he was shot check it out here broken down in a davidic chiasmus like Joseph smith he you can tell he felt is death was eminent. Nevertheless, He said the Lord “… . allowed me to go up to the mountain….. And I’ve looked over and 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.” check this site out I love going to the vail and seeing a black hand sticking out.
    http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/COL15/511180392/1001/NEWS

    Comment by Monty Thompson — January 18, 2006 @ 9:08 pm