Fifty years ago this week, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. 

 

He died at the age of 39. But his relatively few years of life belied the tremendous impact that he has had on American society.

 

From about 1955 until his death 13 years later, Dr. King worked to overcome the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination that has marked the history of our nation. 

 

In particular, Dr. King called for the use of demonstrations and actions based in non-violence to further the recognition of the civil rights of African Americans.

 

Our nation was founded on principles of the Natural Law, the recognition of God’s image in each one of us and in the world. As we know, the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 

As Dr. King stated in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

 

Unfortunately, our national history has not lived up to that recognition of the inherent dignity of every person, regardless of their race or color of skin. It took another 80 years after the Declaration, and a calamitous and bloody civil war, to put an end to the evil of slavery imposed on Africans brought to this country against their will.

 

Even after the Emancipation Proclamation issued in 1863, the abolition of slavery did not put an end to both laws and attitudes that resulted in continuing segregation and discrimination on the basis of race. 

And we have to admit, even to the current day, for all the progress that has been made, our society has not reached or achieved the vision articulated by Dr. King of “a nation where (people) will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

 

The Catholic bishops have issued a statement reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King and commemorating the anniversary of his tragic assassination.

 

They stated, “… we need to ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to build the culture of love, respect and peace to which the Gospel calls us. What are we being asked to do for the sake of our brother or sister who still suffers under the weight of racism? Where could God use our efforts to help change the hearts of those who harbor racist thoughts or engage in racist actions?”

 

The anniversary of Dr. King’s death is a moment for all of us to reflect on the dignity of every human person. 

 

In this week after Easter, we should remind ourselves dignity is reflected in Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

 

Jesus died and rose for all men and women. The love of God for the whole world, without distinction, moved Him to send His son to die for our sins. All of us are made in the image and likeness of God, regardless of the color of skin that God has given us.

 

We can condemn racial discrimination and all other forms of hatred that plague our world broken by sin. In the end, the answer is always the same. We must learn to love God and then love each other as He does. Dr. Martin Luther King would agree.