Melissa Harris-Perry says that, during her talk at Fountain Street Church last night, she was ready to ask the audience some tough questions.
“Are we getting Dr. King right? When we remember him, what is it we’re remembering and what is it that we’re very actively and purposefully forgetting?”
Harris-Perry says it’s important to remember that, while King was just one man, he was a man of many sides.
“He comes out of a church, he comes out of a community, he comes out of a family, he’s part of a movement. We’ve got to remember King in context. It’s the context which is just as relevant as he is.”
Harris-Perry also says that King, even with his imperfections as a human being, can serve as an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a difference in this world to bring us closer to his dream.
“But he was also, like, a guy who sometimes didn’t do the nicest things or say the nicest things, who made mistakes, who made political, strategic errors. And I think for me, when I remember those things about him, it actually makes me like him more, and it makes me feel more empowered because I think, ‘Oh, well imperfect! I can do imperfect all day!’”
Harris-Perry will be speaking this afternoon at 2 p.m. just before a silent march at the Lettinga Campus at Davenport University.