“I have been to the mountaintop … and I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you.” These were some of the last recorded sentiments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a local church in Memphis on April 3, 1968 – the night before he was fatally shot.
Fifty-four years later, many hail this final oration to be King’s single greatest speech. Peering into a congregation discouraged by the racially charged violence and injustice of their time, King delivered remarks that stirred hearts and reawakened the souls of the congregation.
Many in that congregation did not know King had received numerous death threats in the weeks leading up to that speech. Fewer in that congregation knew that while King famously made mention that night of “a mountaintop” from which he could see ‘the promised land,’ King felt confined to what may have been his lowest valley just hours before his speech.
Bernard Lafayette, a dear friend of Dr. King and fellow leader in the civil rights movement, suggests that King fought anxiety and a looming depression as he attempted to sleep at the Lorraine Motel. No one expected King to deliver a speech that night, let alone drive anywhere in a rainstorm that dominated the region that evening. King and Lafayette were then startled by a loud ring from the hotel phone.
A church aide requested that King attend the church that evening and deliver a speech to lift the congregation. The aide pleaded with King, “This is your crowd,” Lafayette said in a CBS interview. In the same interview, Lafayette suggests that King questioned whether the aide was serious about asking King to remove his pajamas, put on a suit and tie, and go out in a rainstorm. Nevertheless, King mustered the strength to attend the church that evening.
King humbly admitted to the large congregation that he, like anyone, would like to live a long life, but that he was not concerned about that. He was much more concerned about making real the possibility of a post-racial society in which his children would be judged by the content of their character, rather than by the color of their skin. King went on to say that he feared nothing because he knew that we, as a people, would get to that promised land one day.
By the time King began to speak of “the mountaintop” from which he could see the promised land, it was evident to Lafayette that King had somehow “preached himself out of depression.” As I attempt to reconcile the extent to which King’s final speech marked history and the dark hours that preceded those precious moments, I consider that, perhaps overcoming that lonely valley was the prerequisite for King’s mountaintop speech. I consider that, perhaps if King did not attend the church service that evening, however discouraged, fatigued, anxious, depressed, and having every good excuse, the grave would claim King’s final speech before we could hear it. No one would catch a glimpse of the mountaintop of which King spoke.
Beyond this, although the curtain fell the next morning on King’s life, his final sentiments not only tell us that he knew death was imminent, but that he was willing to be a sacrifice for a cause much greater than himself. As such, it should come as no surprise that King said, “[a] man who does not have something for which he is willing to die is not fit to live.” And, King was right — his values and inspirations have long outlasted his physical form.
History tells us that martyrdom and sacrifice in the name of causes for peace, freedom, and justice have fueled some of the largest movements throughout time. Perhaps this is because it is difficult for many of us to fathom the idea of believing so passionately in a cause for which we would be willing to stop breathing for its fruition.
One thing is certain. King had the courage to do what many considered unthinkable, and sacrificed his life for that cause. While his time here on Earth was short-lived, his legacy, teachings and virtues have proven to be immortal. As we take recognition of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the coming week, let us remember to take a brief moment to honor this legacy of sacrifice in the name of causes much greater than ourselves. Equally important, let us strive to never take the valleys in our lives for granted. As Dr. King’s most famous speech reminds us, sometimes the lowest valleys may well be the prerequisite for our greatest mountaintops in life.
A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services. Jonathan is lead attorney at The Madison Firm and can be reached via email at jmadison@themadisonfirm.com.
(1) comment
Hi, Jonathan
I always enjoy your columns and today's offering is one of your best. Thanks for getting folks thinking about Dr. King well before the special day we have set aside for him. Reverend King is a great part of our past and he is with us in the present... we can only hope his teachings will be a great part of our future.
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