The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. - The New Yorker

O que mais surpreende nestas matérias não é tanto a luta indômita de Martin Luther King, Jr. pelos direitos civis, ou seja, a igualdade completa de todos os cidadãos, independentemente de sua origem social ou cor da pele, é a extensão, a profundidade, a solidez do racismo, da segregação, do Apartheid americano, realidades que eram consideradas normais pouco mais de meio século atrás, e que ainda alcançam um bom número de cidadãos brancos, e não só os supremacistas, estimulados por Trump.
Paulo Roberto de Almeida

The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. This week, Americans will be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. In 1965, Renata Adler published a report in The New Yorker on King’s march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, writing about the participants’ experiences along the way and describing King’s calm and steady presence. At one point, King approached an old man with a cane and asked if he would join them. “I’ll walk one step anyway,” the old man said. “Because I know for every one step I’ll take you’ll take two.” This weekend, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about King’s legacy and the significance of the upcoming holiday. In “The Hours Before ‘I Have a Dream,’ ” from 1963, Calvin Trillin joins the March on Washington and writes about the events leading up to King’s famous speech. In “When I Met Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who became one of the first black students to integrate the University of Georgia, in 1961, recounts how her meeting with the civil-rights leader that year inspired her. In “The Mission,” David Levering Lewis examines the complicated political alliance between King and President Lyndon Johnson. Finally, in “Martin Luther King Day with Trump,” Jelani Cobb explores how the holiday has taken on a new meaning in our current political climate. We hope that you find these pieces as fascinating—and inspiring—as we do. —David Remnick

From The New Yorker’s Archive The Talk of the Town The Hours Before “I Have a Dream” A survey of the March on Washington, in the lead-up to Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s most famous words. By Calvin Trillin | September 7, 1963 Letter from Selma The Selma March On the trail to Montgomery. By Renata Adler | April 10, 1965 News Desk When I Met Martin Luther King, Jr. I will always remember that moment and what it taught me about Dr. King and one of his core values: humility. By Charlayne Hunter-Gault | April 4, 2018 Books The Mission Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s final chapter. By David Levering Lewis | January 23 & 30, 2006 Comment Martin Luther King Day with Trump The holiday will be presided over by a President who scarcely seems to comprehend King’s principles. By Jelani Cobb | January 16, 2017