Several leading journalists and one noted public intellectual have voiced their concern that Sen. Barrack Obama did not find it important enough to be in Memphis to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his assassination.
When asked about his absence, Obama said he chose to campaign in Indiana, where he said King’s pleas have yet to be answered fully. It was also in Indiana that Sen. Robert Kennedy, then campaigning for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination in 1968, told a crowd that Dr. King had been slain.
“I thought Obama should have been in Memphis because the nation’s attention was focused on that day, and not Indiana, where he was,” said nationally syndicated journalist Roland Martin. “Had Obama been there, he could have used the opportunity to further present himself in the image of King, someone who wasn’t willing to shy away from the tough fights and stay focused on his work in the pulpit. To have Obama stand on that balcony would have meant that they have killed the dreamer, but a potential Obama presidency represented the continuing of that dream.”
Journalist Faye Anderson, writing for Black Voices, was also disturbed by Obama’s non-appearance. “Barrack Obama was conspicuous by his absence. Frankly, I’m bothered that Obama didn’t bother to show up. Dr. King paid the ultimate sacrifice so that African Americans could get to the ‘mountaintop,’ but Obama couldn’t sacrifice a few hours of his campaigning.”
Explaining further his decision not to attend, Obama said he had spoken to King’s family Friday morning, and “I think they are aware of how important I believe the legacy of Dr. King is. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.” During Dr. King’s birthday celebration, Obama did speak from the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Dr. Cornel West had this to say in a Huffington Post blog: “I wasn’t to say that I was deeply disappointed that my dear brother Barrack Obama decided not to go pay tribute and lay his wreath for the great Martin Luther King, Jr. That brother Martin’s profound love and deep sacrifice for Black people, America and humanity is in no way reducible to political calculations, even for the campaign for presidency. That Martin Luther King Jr.’s deep commitment to unarmed truth and unconditional love can in no way be subject to strategies for success to political power. Hence, I have a very deep disagreement with my dear brother, Barack Obama – in this case, commitment to truth is in tension with the quest for power.”
“Had Obama been there [in Memphis],” Martin added, “he could have met with the 18 Black sanitation workers who are still on the job in Memphis because they don’t have any city pensions. Yes, those men must still work because the racism in 1968 continues to affect their lives in 2008.”
