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How good it would be if we would believe in America like King as we work to find ways to make our lives better. Let those beliefs and respect for the principles, laws, and good traditions of America guide us today.

As we remember and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there are valuable lessons that should give us hope that we can overcome what we face today in a divided and teetering America.

First, if we believe in America like King—truly believe that the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are meant for all Americans, zealously embrace them—then we would put them into practice by letting them govern and guide our actions in both our public and private lives daily.

That fundamental belief inspired and motivated King and lit the path he chose to fix policies and practices, which were blatantly wrong or needed fixing, to make life in America as it was intended to be. It was made abundantly clear in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Imagine if we believe in America like King and let it govern our actions accordingly.

King did not ignore nor seek to discredit or dismantle the basic tenets of our democratic Republic. He embraced them instead.

When you hear the words and see the actions today of some of our highest elected officials at every level of government and some political activists, do you sense that they, like King, are using our fundamental governing documents as guides for their actions or proposed policies? Do you think they believe in America like King?

Believe in America Like King (Photo by flysnow/iStock Images)

What would King have thought about what happened in our nation’s capital on January 6, 2020, which was in stark contrast with what happened during the march on Washington in 1963?

More importantly, he firmly believed that resorting to violence and hatred was not the way to get the country to honor its creeds and promises when it came to racial equality and race relations.

In that same speech, King said: “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.”

We need to believe in America like King did. Then, we will have faith in America’s promises despite her imperfections and failures, and faith in the decency and goodwill of the majority of our fellow Americans. Despite the challenges, we will continue to rise and protect this nation and work to make our way of life better.

Excerpts in this column first appeared in the Missouri Independent.

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