Where are the Martin Luther Kings and the Bobby Kennedys of this Generation?

Valerie Cullers 17 Comments

Having grown up in the sixties, I was privileged to watch and listen to great men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Martin Luther King Jr. had the vision and the voice to inspire a generation of people to not accept the villainy of segregation. Bobby Kennedy had the same vision and with his position as Attorney General was able to help enforce the law and not allow segregation any longer.

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photo by skeeze courtesy of pixabay

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to us and taught us the power of passive resistance. He never advocated violence and he never tried to incite us to hatred or violence in any form. He was a man whose vision made us all better people and he inspired change for the millions of people who would come after him.

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photo by skeeze courtesy of pixabay

Bobby Kennedy had the ability and the power of the Federal government to implement that change. He believed it was the right thing to do and he brought the full force of the law to bear in order to implement it.

Today there are many worthy causes that I would love to lend my voice to but I can’t. Their leaders inspire hatred and violence and instead of bringing people together they are tearing apart the fabric of our society.

Does anyone miss the kind of leaders that Martin and Bobby were? I certainly do and I am looking for men and women like them, people of high caliber and vision, who can bring us together and help solve the problems we face in our society today.

Hi! In light of the comments by some politicians this week, I thought I would repost this! Have a great week!

 

 

 

17 thoughts on “Where are the Martin Luther Kings and the Bobby Kennedys of this Generation?”

  1. Hi Valerie,
    Sorry to say, but the current “leaders” were elected by a large segment of this society. What does that say about their values?
    I know this is divisive, but how to get beyond this division?

    On a different note, I am unable to like your posts. I have been having technical problems with WP, and now your site does not even recognize that I am following you. Would you please let me know if you decided to “unfollow” me.

    Thank you,
    Tanja

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • HI Tanja,
      Thanks for letting me know. I am following you, but you are not listed in my followers. I have not ever taken anyone off my followers list; and I wouldn’t. I might not approve a comment if it was filled with profanity, but other than that, I approve all comments.
      So somehow you are not listed as a follower. I so appreciate you letting me know!!
      ❤ ❤ ❤ Valerie

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      • Thank you for your prompt response, Valerie.
        I have had a couple of frustrating days with WP, and hope they can help me figure out what is going wrong. I know that I used to follow you, but now I am not, and I can’t follow or like your posts. Technology!
        Have a good day.
        Tanja

        Liked by 1 person

  2. RFK and MLK were examples of men who grew into great men. The RFK who worked for Joseph McCarthy was a very different person than the unifying figure who emerged after JFK’s assassination. MLK grew into a true radical and a man with many enemies during the late 1960s. He was a controversial figure with many enemies from more than one camp. Even after he died, much of the reactionary right wing continued to accuse him of being a communist or at least of having been in league with communists.

    As Michael Eric Dyson has written, the MLK of the King holiday is the relatively non-threatening figure of the “I Have a Dream Speech.” People who would have lambasted MLK had they lived during the 1950s and 1960s like to quote him to condemn affirmative action. They seem to forget, assuming that they ever knew, that he grew into a Christian socialist and a vocal critic of U.S. imperalistic foreign policy.

    I prefer to remember the MLK who went out on an unpopular limb at the end of his life.

    Liked by 1 person

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      • Historians who are, so to speak, worth their salt, acknowledge that people change–sometimes for the better (as RFK and MLK did) and sometimes for the worse. For example, I tell my students to be careful when evaluating statements by Abraham Lincoln, that is, not to mistake a given statement for his opinion on a subject throughout his lifetime. The Lincoln of 1865 was a greater man than the Lincoln of 1858; he had matured over seven years.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I think there is a worldwide shortage of leaders capable of leading society as a whole to peace, harmony, and tolerance of cultural diversity, gender, race, creed, etc. here where I live, unfortunately, the days are dark and I do not know what the future expects. technologies are used not as tools for growth and awareness and discernment both person and group, but to instill hatred, violence to projects that contradict it and make personal projects a priority. there is a great leader who unites the chains of good.

    Liked by 2 people

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  7. It’s difficult to immediately come up with a suggestion of leaders in their dignity. But I hope Malala one day take the lead somehow somewhere if she still have that courage and a peaceful agenda that day.

    Liked by 1 person

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