What Would Martin Say?

OnApril4，1968，theReverendMartinLutherKingJr.wasassassinatedonthebalconyoftheLorraineMotelinMemphis，Tennessee，deprivingtheworldofoneofthegreatestmoralauthoritiesofthetwentiethcentury.Hewasthirty-nine.Kinghadachievedsomuchatsuchayoungagethatitishardtobelievethathehasbeengonelongerthanthebrieftimehespentonthisearth.HespokeoutnotonlyonsegregationandracismagainstAfricanAmericans，butaboutmanyotherissuesoftheday，frompolicebrutalityandlaborstrikestotheVietnamWar.Giventhecurrentstateoftheworld，wewouldallbenefitfromhearingMartin'svoice，ifonlyhewerealivetoday....IfanyonewouldhaveinsightintowhatMartinwouldsay，itwouldbeClarenceB.Jones，King'spersonallawyerandoneofhisclosestprincipaladvisersandconfidants.Jones—nowseventy-seven，haschosentheoccasionofthissomberanniversarytobreakhissilence—removingthemythicdistanceoffortyyears'timetorevealtheflesh-and-bloodmanheknewashisfriend，Martin.JonesponderswhattheoutspokenrightsleaderwouldsayabouttheseriousissuesthatbedevilcontemporaryAmerica:IslamicterrorismandthewarinIraq，reparationsforslavery，anti-Semitism，affirmativeaction，illegalimmigration，andthevacuumofAfricanAmericanleadership.Delvingdeepintohismemoriesofthemanheworkedcloselybeside，andwithhelpfromtheKingInstituteatStanfordUniversityandreamsofformerlytop-secretandnowdeclassifiedFBIfiles，Jonesofferstheguidanceandinsighthisfriendandmentorwouldhaveprovidedforusinthesetroubledtimes.ManyAmericanstodayknowofMartinLutherKingonlyfromvideoclipsandhistorybooks.AsJonessoaptlyremindsus，thislegendaryfigurewasalsoawarmhumanbeingfulloflife—andmorerelevantnowthanever.