Editorial Board
King's Imperiled Vision
The urge to measure how far we've come is understandable. But on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, America faces a more fundamental task.
Marching on the road to American greatness.
Photograph: William Lovelace/Express/Getty ImagesThe 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., like previous anniversaries, will be used as a measuring stick. How far has America come from King's era? How far must it still go to realize his vision of justice and comity?
It's a useful exercise, but it also risks reducing King's vision instead of enlarging it. The pursuit of justice has never been tidy or linear. It advances and recedes, pushed and pulled by political and popular engagement. In the moment, it can be difficult to tell which way the nation is headed. The presidency of Barack Obama was an extraordinary historical marker. It also engendered a backlash that helped elect his successor.