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'That's the message Dr. King died for' | Activist, lawmaker and educator reflect on Civil Rights icon's legacy

All three agree there's still a lot to do when it comes to equality for all in the United States.

DES MOINES, Iowa — More than 50 years have passed since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A preacher, activist, community leader and more, Dr. King led protests for change and equality for all. 

Black and white, young and old, Dr, King's legacy rings loud as Americans take time to reflect on the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement. 

But, how can Americans reflect on his teachings when the country is still learning about the systematic racism across the nation? 

Over the last year, the U.S. has walked a line between current events and what could be thought of as black and white pictures.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Elijah McCain. Tamir Rice. Jacob Blake.

Countless more names were chanted by protesters taking to streets amid a global pandemic, calling for justice against police brutality. 

What would King think about all of this today? 

The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement (DSM BLM) chapter said he would be shocked the Black community is still fighting for equality after all of these years. 

“We have to talk about those people and their issues at the exact center of the American people consciousness," DSM BLM activist Maté Muhammad explained. "That’s the message Dr. King died for."

Muhammad (who formerly went by the name Matthew Bruce) said he thinks it's necessary to be an activist right now, not just important. 

"In 50 years from now, hopefully, we'll be looking at a society that is universal equality," Muhammad said. 

Just last week, DSM BLM reissued a travel advisory for Black and other people of color ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. 

The League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa (LULAC) backed DSM BLM on MLK Jr. Day. 

LULAC told Local 5's Lakyn McGee they will be adopting the newly released legislative demands of DSM BLM as part of their own agenda for 2021. 

"The can has been kicked down the road for generations."

The idea of unity is common on MLK Day, and it's something we've been hearing about in our political landscape. 

Biden made that a central figure of his campaign, but him being sworn in Wednesday doesn't make unity automatic. 

Unification won't come easy, and it certainly won't happen by Wednesday. 

"The can has been kicked down the road for generations," said state Rep. Ras Smith, D-Waterloo. "We have to address that stuff. That does not make this easier, but that's how we will achieve our goal of unification." 

"But in between there is accountability, is concerted action. Understanding where we exist right now and then we can start the healing process that gets us unification," Smith said. 

"But we can't skip those steps in the middle. If we'd done so, we've just swept those problems under the rug to resurface for my daughter and her children," Smith said. 

The greatest opportunity for change in America, according to Smith, exists now. 

"We've seen what inaction can do, but we've also seen what great change can come about with our collective action. So I'm asking anybody for somebody who's not doing anything, you've got to do something," Smith said. 

"For somebody who's doing something, you've got to do a little bit more. And if you're somebody who's doing that more, I need all that you have. If you go out and do that, then we can collectively make change," Smith said.

Smith said the air surrounding this year's MLK Day is "thick." 

There's a feeling of tension and a feeling of hate. But amidst it all is a unifying need for people to find a better situation and higher quality of life. 

Looking at the real King, not the "sanitized" version

Assistant Dean for Intercultural Initiatives at Iowa State University Kenyatta Shamburger didn't have an exact quote from Dr. King to claim as his favorite. 

"I can't say that there is one in particular that resonates with me because, over the last few years, I have chosen to really think more about Dr. King and kind of the arc of his life," Shamburger said. 

"As I think about growing up, and I grew up in the South, we sort of put a pinpoint after his "I Have a Dream" speech," Shamburger said. "And I think that speech is used very often, but I think when we take a moment to think about it, look at the arc again of Dr. King's life... we see that there was a change."

"His messages became a little more poignant, and I think that they spoke more directly to where the country was, and I think that there are some messages that we can use today that really speak to where the county is," Shamburger said. 

"Some of the things that we have seen over the past few days, I think he truly spoke to that," Shamburger said. 

Shamburger said the use of King's infamous "I Have a Dream" speech is used in a way that the icon would denounce if he were here today. 

"The country is in a new place. We have had our first African American president, we will soon have the first African American, Indian woman vice president. So the country has moved by, but there's still a long way to go," Shamburger said. 

"I think that his messages spoke to that, and we, again, need to look at King, not the sanitized version, to recognize that he was a man of action, that there was a more radical aspect of his life in his latter years," Shamburger said. 

"I think we have [the] opportunity to learn and grow from there as well," Shamburger said.

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