Most people, I find, are happy just to have a day off. The six most common paid holidays among businesses in the United States are New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day and Christmas Day. Not on the list, however is the government holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is acknowledged by some non-federal businesses and private schools, including Dartmouth. The College offered several King related events this week, including a speech by Rev. Leah Daughtry ’84 and a student panel on studying abroad. Despite the many events and opportunities, they weren’t very well publicized, my residence hall’s attempts to attend an event as a floor were unsuccessful, and some students still had to attend labs. While it is good that the College as a whole acknowledges Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the lack of follow-through demonstrates apathy about the holiday both on campus and in the U.S. in general.
Just a little over 30 years ago in 1982, King’s birthday became an official holiday under Ronald Reagan’s administration. However, the holiday bill was passed with reluctance and Reagan himself was not immediately on board. During the deliberation process, Time magazine reported that Reagan’s administration had a “sensitivity gap.” Laurence Barrett, Time magazine reporter, wrote, “The reason [for the White House being noncommital about Martin Luther King Jr. Day] says something about this Administration’s isolation from the nation’s largest minority.” This sensitivity gap, which may have delayed the inception of the holiday, is still a setback, preventing the holiday from reaching its full potential.
The bill obviously passed and the government acknowledged Martin Luther King Jr. Day. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the holiday has reached its full potential. The purpose of the holiday is to honor King and his contributions to the civil rights movement due to his ability to bring people together. Often people I hear discussing current social movements like Black Lives Matter say they don’t concern them simply because they aren’t black or they don’t live in an area particularly concerned with police brutality. People make similar arguments about Martin Luther King Jr. Day; they don’t feel the need to go to any events because they are not black. Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be celebrated, and not only by the people it seems to directly affect. The purpose of King’s leadership, and by extension, of this holiday, is interconnectivity.
This sensitivity gap exists not just between the government and African-Americans, but also between the remainder of the U.S. population and African-Americans. This gap isn’t widely acknowledged because it exists on both levels. Why is it that most people easily accept taking a moment of silence for Memorial Day (even if they do not know any deceased soldiers themselves), but so many more people see Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday that does not involve them and is just for a certain group?
Race is obviously a touchy subject, and discussions about race have become increasingly divisive lately with presidential candidates like Donald Trump making racist remarks and tensions heating up between supporters and opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement. King was able to mobilize large groups of both African-Americans and supporters from all other backgrounds. Although King’s goals focused on civil rights for African-Americans, his values and principles are almost universal and his peaceful endeavors for social justice helped spur movements for other marginalized groups. The voting rights movement, for example, encompassed rights for other minorities and also inspired later movements, like the Asian-American civil rights movement. On the King Center website, King’s wife Coretta Scott King writes, “We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership.” These are clearly principles that can apply to all.
Perhaps the reason people don’t see King’s relevance, whether in values, past social movements or politics, is the still-present “sensitivity gap.” Some people think that the goals King fought for have been attained. However, remembering King can serve as a reminder of the importance of interconnectedness and empathy in modern American politics, especially in regards to the racial issues at the top of the political agenda today.
