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A Man, Not a Soundbite

Historians fear King's life has been forgotten

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 21, 2008 4:54 PM CST

(Newser) – In the decades since his death, Martin Luther King Jr. has been transformed from a flesh-and-blood figure into a one-dimensional icon. Historians fear memory has frozen King on the Washington Mall in 1963, reducing him to a soundbite and a “symbol that people use and manipulate for their own purposes,” says one professor. The Associated Press considers King's—there's that word again—legacy.

In 1968, King was something of a pariah, championing edgy anti-war and anti-poverty issues. By ignoring King’s evolution over the last 5 years of his life and the more controversial views he embraced, “we lose a view on what real leadership is,” another professor says. “Following King meant following the unpopular road, not the popular one."

[Images (4)]

[Videos (2)]

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is seen in this undated file photo. Nearly 40 years after his assassination in April 1968, after the deaths of his wife and others who knew both the man and what he stood... (Associated Press)

President Bush, left, and first lady Laura Bush, right, looks over notes from school-aged children during their visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Pablo... (Associated Press)

King has "slipped into the realm of symbol that people use and manipulate for their own purposes," said one historian. (Library of Congress Archives)

Lit by inspirational phrases projected on a wall, attendees listen during the New York State Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Observance in Albany, N.Y. on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Tim Roske) (Associated Press)

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Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last speech (ct91rs (YouTube))

Martin Luther King "I have a dream" (superjsuh (YouTube))

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A Man, Not a Soundbite