During the recent commemoration of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the community in which he was sacrificed offered symposia, galas, and more than a few bus wraps as reminders of his work and legacy. In our opinion, a few voices rose above the cacophony. Dr. Charles McKinney was one of those voices; he is an Associate Prof of History and Director of Africana Studies at Rhodes College.
Prof. McKinney was kind enough to spend a precious few minutes with us during that very busy month. Among a few other things, he reminded us that Dr. King spoke equally about love, power and justice, but all too often we ignore the power and the justice and focus on the love. Unfortunately, this dishonest treatment of Dr. King's message informed how we marked his tragic death. In this interview, Professor McKinney vividly reminds us that, 50 years later, things are not alright.