Begin forwarded message:
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
From Rev. Dr. Aliah MaJon:
I grew up during the early Civil Rights Movement, so I've known about Martin Luther King, Jr. my whole life. In fact, he was so important to our family that I even considered him an "ancestor" — socially speaking. My mother is from Alabama, so the racial justice activities he led in her home state were routinely the topic of conversations.
Of course, I also knew that Dr. King was a Christian minister, and often delivered actual church sermons along with the historic speeches he came to be known for.
Another way of putting this: Rev. King was a true leader and teacher from the time he was in college until he left us when he was assassinated in 1968.
During my research on his life and his historic contributions, I discovered a few resources that contain archives of Dr. King's sermons and speeches — and one of my favorite sermons is called The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life, which you can listen to here while viewing a slideshow of historical photographs of Dr. King and others. (Read the transcript here.)
I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also taught about what I would call "Practical Spirituality" — he delivered illuminating words to congregations long before he stood on a platform to bring forth racial and social justice. I personally feel that you cannot be a leader of his caliber without knowing about, and putting into practice, what I consider to be high level spiritual growth and personal development principles. My own life proved this to me.
Dr. King seems to have been quite a student of those principles early in his life — this sermon is from 1953. It really speaks to me that I can now look at him as a role model in this regard, as well as knowing him to be an icon of civil rights. I agree with the words of his sermon, and I especially love and that he put forth that a "Complete Life" must have the following three parts:
1. Length: Love Yourself
2. Breath: Love Others
3. Height: Love God (or whatever name you call your Higher Power.)I sincerely hope this helps to deepen your reflections on Dr. King as we celebrate his life and contributions tomorrow.
Sending sweet blessings to our ancestors,
Rev. Dr. Aliah K. MaJon (she/her)
The Shift Network
Chief Inclusion Officer
WATCH: I Am MLK Jr. — Official Trailer
I Am MLK Jr. tells the story and celebrates the life of an American icon. The documentary features interviews with civil rights-era activists such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ambassador Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis and Rev. Al Sharpton. It also features contemporary writers, activists and influencers in sports entertainment and media such as Van Jones, Carmelo Anthony, Nick Cannon, Shaun King, Malcom Jenkins, and more. Watch Trailer
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