"It says that men — they call it masculinity —that men ought to be the main one, which is why a whole lot of chauvinist black preachers preached against Kamala.
Their mama is a woman. I bet they take the women's tithes in the church. But religious nationalism takes the flag and puts it above the cross."
"But religious nationalism takes the flag and puts it above the cross. Religious nationalism said that God's way is a certain party, guns, the party, being against gay folk, being for schools that can resegregate, weaponize the Justice Department. But that's not a God agenda. That's a heresy."
"Think about how relevant these words [from King's speech at the march on Washington] still are today, as the current administration is cruelly enacting racist and nativist policies against Brown and Black people, still hoping to make the United States into something it never was: a country of, for, and by white people only."
~ Pamela Hilliard Owens
https://www.wearespeaking.net/p/today-in-black-history-the-forgotten
"King’s words have come back full force.
In his speech, he declared: 'These are revolutionary times. All over the globe, men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression.' How can one read King’s words and not think of Minneapolis, Tehran, Caracas or Gaza?"
~ Kellie Carter Jackson
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/19/dr-martin-luther-king
"Today, we can use the 'urgency of now' that he spoke of to move on from the empty platitudes that this day of remembrance often evokes. Instead, we can focus on the purpose and costs of the liberties that we are working so hard to manifest."
"For someone whose name is so ubiquitous, we know precious little about Martin Luther King, Jr. beyond a handful of quotes that are often ripped out of context. So this MLK Day, take some time to read King’s words at length."
~ Jemar Tisby
https://jemartisby.substack.com/p/footnotes-classic-three-ways-to-celebrate
"Many Americans didn’t experience Dr. Martin Luther King’s oratory, or the hope and fears of the Civil Rights era. His words and dreams remain relevant, necessary, and inspirational today."
~ Wanda Sykes, Mike Colter, LeVar Burton, Danny Glover
"People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left.
Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what.
Wishing us all a day of peace for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026."
~ Heather Cox Richardson
David Pepper points to the continuing revelance of Dr. King's words:
“For years now I have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This 'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.' We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that 'justice too long delayed is justice denied.'”
https://davidpepper.substack.com/p/injustice-anywhere-is-a-threat-to
