Black History Month

The highlight of the Black History Month events on campus was a discussion with Dr. Derek B. King Sr., nephew of Martin Luther King Jr., in the John L. Hill Chapel February 17th. The event was titled “What about our history?” Participants included Dr. Frank Houston, College religion professor, and Dr. Lindsey Apple, ‘64, retired College history professor, who acted as facilitator.

Apple asked the panel to speak about the Christian church’s role in the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. King said his uncle recognized the revolutionary time in history, saw the “revolutionary spirit in Jesus” and believed Christ was calling him and others to right the wrongs in society. Houston added that King’s peaceful resistance movement was “a different approach to bring about change” that hadn’t been tried before.

Dr. Derek King explained that his uncle wanted to use Scripture and nonviolent protests to persuade society of the need for change, while still acknowledging the righteous anger of those under the intense racism and discrimination of the times. “No one since Martin Luther King has been able to persuade people and help us harness our anger, which is ongoing.”

“The principles of love and nonviolence are still appealing. The Civil Rights Movement awakened the church, but the people involved were still a minority,” said Houston. “The church today has been lulled into apathy. There’s a tension between who we are as Christians and our mission to reach the world for God and the need to relate to the culture and not be isolationists.”

King agreed that Christian activism doesn’t have to be either social or spiritual. It is both. “There’s too much making you feel good in the church now and not enough conviction. Pastors need to be committed to social change, human dignity, and Kingdom building.” He noted that his uncle and Malcolm X were not enemies even though the media tried to push that narrative. “Their approaches were different, but their aims were the same.”

In a question-and-answer time that followed, an African American student asked for advice for others like her on campus who are still working for equality. “Speak truth to your power,” King said. “You have more power than you realize. Look for like-minded people. There’s no real change without dissatisfaction.” He emphasized the importance of getting to know a variety of students. Get to know people. Racism is learned and can be changed.” Apple recalled some of the first groups of African American student athletes at Georgetown College in the early 1970s. “They stuck together and asked for change. They made a difference on campus.”