From the first paragraph of the article “Martin Luther King, Jr: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle” by Carson, makes it know that MLK day is about to remember who he was and what he believed in. In some cases, MLK day was just a day off from school and a day for the teachers to catch up on work. I believe that yes, MLK day should be a federal holiday, but I also think schools should still hold school. The importance of what he stood for could be implemented in the school system. It could be important for schools to hold class on this day because many will just go on vacation and not even reflect on who MLK was and what he stood for.
The article states “A major example of this distortion has been the tendency to see King as a charismatic figure who single-handedly directed the course of the civil rights movement through the force of his oratory” (28). The depiction has been made over the years and words have been mixed up. Of course, what MLK fought for and stood for what is important and where he moved to the United States and the world is powerful. MLK is an important leader in this world, but when the world’s charismatic figure is thrown around things can get a little mixed up. The article states “The term charisma has traditionally been used to describe the godlike, magical qualities possessed by certain leaders” (28). The way the meaning of words have changed over time and can cause difficult
You make a good point about how MLK Day has depreciated in value over the years. Perhaps, through the media, we can encourage people from all backgrounds to honor MLK Day by engaging in grassroots work of an organization of their choice. I believe that the University of Richmond did this in February 2020 to promote the ideals of civic engagement and social justice and the programming for the day went extremely well!
I think that educational programs surrounding the legacy of King need to reform so that they are not so whitewashed in their visions on violence, protest, and organization against oppression. Instead of solely discussing King’s speeches that were written to appeal to the moderate masses, students should learn of his more radical leanings to understand how and why oppression remains so ongoing today.
I understand the point you are making by saying that school should be held on MLK day to educate people about him, but I disagree. Knowing how the education system isn’t the best education, I don’t think it’s best to take that day away and leave it up to schools to honor him. To my knowledge, he is the only US civilian awarded a holiday in recognition of them, and he is a black man, that alone says a lot. Taking that away would be a step in the wrong direction.
I find your point interesting because throughout my elementary and middle school we had the day off of school and then we would have a day of no classes at school to learn about MLK. I actually feel that I had a good idea about MLK’s intentions and motives because my school held this day for us. We spent a whole entire school day focusing on the importance of his movement.