Martin Luther King Jr. - "Rediscovering Lost Values." Feb. 28, 1954. Second Baptist Church. Detroit.

“The great problem facing modern man is that the means by which we live have outdistanced the spiritual ends for which we live.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since 1986, we have been observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. As we are approaching this holiday weekend, it feels like a good time to practice an idea given to us by our Akan ancestors of Ghana, namely Sankofa, a word in the Twi language, which means “go back and fetch it.” In the context of remembering the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it seems appropriate to go back, look at, and listen to, some of Dr. King’s inspiring words and ideas for our country in general and for Blacks folks in particular.

So, let’s start here.

On February 28, 1954, Dr. King gave a speech at the historic Second Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1836 by thirteen formerly enslaved persons, Second Baptist is the oldest Black congregation in Michigan, and in 1975 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. On that morning in 1954, Dr. King chose for his message this topic: “Rediscovering Lost Values.” Centering his sermon around a story found in Luke 2, Dr. King delivers two salient points: (1) All reality hinges on moral foundations; and (2) All reality has spiritual control; in other words, there is a God behind the process.

Just a few months after this speech, the United States Supreme Court delivered the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, deeming segregation of public schools in America as unconstitutional.

“The real problem is that through our scientific genius, we made of the world a neighborhood, but through our moral and spiritual genius, we failed to make us a brotherhood,” said Dr. King in this speech. He goes on to talk about the unconscious materialism plaguing life in the 1950s and how many of us give lip service to God and not life service. “It’s possible to affirm the existence of God with your lips and deny his existence with your life,” he preached.

So, let’s go back and fetch some of that knowledge and wisdom possessed by our dearly departed and much beloved brother, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), so that we can move forward into our future stronger, single-mindedly focused and more determined than ever before.

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