What MLK Fought For Is Not Ancient History. And It Is Not Over.

By Jennifer Rogers-Givens, Founder & CEO, P Three Consulting

I was in a conference room several years ago reviewing an MLK campaign for a major brand. The creative was well-intentioned, but it would not connect with Black audiences, the campaign's target audience. The quotes were familiar but stripped of context. The message honored Dr. King in name while erasing what he actually fought for.

We were in the middle of explaining why this concept would not resonate when the Vice President of Marketing for the client side stood up and walked out in the middle of the conversation. Not for a phone call. Not for a break. They simply left. The next day, they told us: I was tired of talking about MLK and why it is different for the Black audience.

“She had the luxury of exhaustion. She could choose when to engage and when to leave. That is a choice not everyone gets to make.”

Tired. She had the option to be tired. For her, it was just a campaign. For me, a Black woman sitting in that room, it was my history, my family, my lived experience. She had the luxury of exhaustion. She could choose when to engage and when to leave. That is a choice not everyone gets to make.

My father was born in 1938 in Danville, Virginia. In June 1963, Danville became the site of the most violent episode of the civil rights movement in Virginia. On what became known as Bloody Monday, police and deputized garbage collectors attacked peaceful protesters with fire hoses and nightsticks, hospitalizing 47 people. Dr. King himself traveled to Danville multiple times and called its police force one of the most brutal he had ever seen. Danville protesters helped lead the March on Washington two months later.

My mother was born in 1956 in Midland, Virginia. She attended segregated schools. When she turned 18, the Voting Rights Act had only been law for a few years. My parents are not history. They are alive. They directly benefited from the civil rights Dr. King fought for. This is not ancient history for me; it is a current reality.

“My parents are not history. They are alive. This is not ancient history; it is a current reality.”

Yesterday, America celebrated Dr. King with parades and social media tributes. His approval rating now sits at 94 percent. But here is what most people forget: when Dr. King was alive, he was one of the most hated men in America. A 1968 Harris Poll showed his disapproval rating at nearly 75 percent. After his assassination, one in three Americans said he brought it on himself.

We talk about Dr. King as if he lived in some distant era. He did not. Had he not been assassinated, he would be 97 years old today. He could still be alive. Millions of Americans who lived through this history are still here. Their children are running companies and shaping culture. The distance between then and now is not as far as we pretend.

“Had he not been assassinated, he would be 97 years old today. He could still be alive.”

Every January, selective quotes flood social media. Hate cannot drive out hate. Judged by the content of their character. Beautiful words, consistently ripped from context. The real Dr. King condemned racism, economic exploitation, and militarism as interconnected evils. He organized the Poor People's Campaign demanding guaranteed income and fair wages. He was assassinated in Memphis supporting sanitation workers. Dr. King understood that civil rights without economic security were incomplete. That is what made him dangerous. That is why he was hated.

This matters whether you work in a corporate office, own a small business, or are building something from scratch. When we strip historical figures of their complexity, we lose the lessons they teach us. Dr. King's story is not just about dreaming. It is about enduring opposition and pressing forward anyway. It is about being unpopular while doing what is right.

If you are building something that challenges the status quo, you are walking a path Dr. King would recognize. The obstacles are real. The pushback is real. But the man now celebrated as an American hero was once considered its greatest threat. His unpopularity did not make him wrong. It made him necessary. Dr. King did not become a hero because everyone agreed with him. He became a hero because he kept going when almost no one did.

“His unpopularity did not make him wrong. It made him necessary.”

P Three Consulting helps nonprofits, small businesses, and solopreneurs amplify their impact with culturally relevant, data-driven strategies. If you are ready to grow with clarity, connection, and capacity, let's connect.

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