Martin Luther King Jr. showed great courage and great faith in change

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of conviction, of strength and of dedication. More importantly, and central to his core, he was a man of faith.

Perhaps it is that part of the man that should be celebrated today.

The Rev. Dr. King was a preacher before he ever became a civil rights activist, and he remained an exemplar of what a life lived for others could be. And while he could quote the Bible as easily as any other man of the cloth, his life embodied two of the Gospel’s most important words: Fear not.

None of King’s accomplishments would have been possible for a man who lived in fear. His “I Have a Dream” speech before 250,000 people could not have been uttered. And his speech in Memphis, given shortly before his assassination, emphasized not only the need for faith but the need for courage. He ended it saying, “I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Southern Baptist, a Buddhist or an atheist, the faith that King exhibited was inspiring, stunning and at times chilling.

A lot of this is at the forefront of our thoughts this year because of a movie, “Selma,” that depicts the march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., and the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge 50 years ago. Twice the marchers were met with fierce resistance. They were turned back, but returned. It took three tries to get across that bridge, but they did it. More marches followed. Within five months of the final march, President Lyndon Johnson had signed the landmark Voting Rights Act.

There have already been celebrations of King’s life in the area, including at the King-Kennedy Center in Modesto on Friday, and more are planned.

Today, in Merced, there will be a march starting at the Amtrak station on West 24th Street at 11 a.m. and ending at the county fairgrounds for a program at noon.

In Modesto on Feb. 7, one of the activists who carried forward the cause of equal rights after King was killed will appear at Modesto Junior College. Julian Bond will speak on “The Road to Freedom: From Alabama to Obama” at 7 p.m. on the east campus, 435 College Ave.

Since 1994, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been considered a day of service. And that makes this day unlike any other that we celebrate. We shoot off fireworks on the Fourth of July, we exchange gifts on Christmas and we feast on Thanksgiving. But on this day we should consider doing something, anything, for others.

King remains an inspiration to anyone who examines his life and what he stood for, allowing all of America’s citizens to have equal standing and equal opportunity.

However we honor him today – in service, or simply seeing a movie – we should recognize that great change requires great sacrifice, great dedication, great conviction and great strength. But most of all, it requires great courage. In King’s case, it was a courage born of great faith.

This story was originally published January 19, 2015 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Martin Luther King Jr. showed great courage and great faith in change."