Dis-Entangling the Theo-Economic Ethos in King’s Moral Leadership Offerings to the Civil Rights Act of 1964

is-Entangling the Theo-Economic Ethos in King’s Moral Leadership Offerings to the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The purpose of this paper is to create productive conversations around the unique contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the Christian theological tradition in the twentieth century and to the religious, cultural, and economic consequences of his work. Particularly, this paper will unpack the economic facets of the Civil Rights Movement, of which King played a significant role. These important explorations include a focus on the role of women in the movement, the economic dimensions of King’s work, and his use of both the theological traditions and rhetoric of the Black Church. One of the main objectives of this paper is to disentangle and bring out the economic dimensions of Martin Luther King’s leadership offerings that led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. In disentangling King’s economic work from the crowded list of other things he did for the Civil Rights Movement, this paper will creatively foster a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to the project of King’s theology.

The main objective of this paper is to disentangle the liberating thoughts of King as they descriptively and prophetically paved the way for signing a historic piece of political legislation into law. Planted firmly between the visionary thoughts and leadership actions of King in the Jim Crow South is the conversation and theology and civil rights. Here, I will uplift two key facts: 1. Theological frameworks influence how people perceive civil rights.1 2. Theology informs ethical reasoning and shapes moral imperatives.2 These two principles helped King to understand the important collaboration of theology and economics in the struggle for freedom and equality. King realized his leadership offering to the movement and to the Civil Rights Act had to be all-inclusive. Black and White Americans suffered greatly under the dangerous and violent rule of government known as Jim Crow. King understood that injustice in one place was injustice in all places. This analysis included his theological take on the equitable sharing of economic resources.

During the Montgomery Bus boycott, King rose to prominence, and 1956 the Southern Christian Leadership Council coordinated and supported nonviolent protests amid segregation and discrimination. With the understanding that all boycotts, marches, and sit-ins were designed to challenge the unequal political status quo of racism, King saw the economic implications within every phase of the movement. As a Black church pastor and a liberation theologian, King also saw how religious beliefs often shaped individuals’ perspectives on civil rights. He understood that different faith traditions had varying stances on issues such as equality, justice, and human dignity. With King’s vision of unity and liberation in view, this paper will shed light on how religious institutions have played important roles in civil rights movements. For instance, the Black church was a driving force during the Civil Rights Movement. Be that as it may, religious perspectives can also hinder progress. With economic hegemony as one of the goals of human oppression, King was also aware that religious doctrines have been used to justify discrimination or maintain oppressive systems.

This paper will also demonstrate how King’s vision of economic justice in the United States helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, an assembly of more than 250,000 people. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was filled with economic innuendo. As an economic demonstration with sociopolitical implications and the interracial forerunner to the Poor People’s Campaign and march in 1968, the March on Washington was critical to the signing of the Civil Rights Act into law. President Kennedy then met with King and other civil rights leaders at the White House to discuss the details of the civil right legislation moving through Congress. In addition to stressing the importance of training and education, the Civil Rights Acts prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. All of these pieces of legislation carried economic interpretations of the utmost importance.

 Lastly, this paper will also reveal how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided the platform for King to broaden his economic advocacy in addressing the oppressive plight of the poor of all races and publicly opposing the Vietnam War. In a more radicalized version of himself, King began to realize how gender intersected with civil rights. Whether he was willing to admit or not, King was aware of the fact that women fought for civil and equal rights alongside men. Even as racial justice lied at the heart of civil rights struggles, King witnessed a diversity of theological views. Theologically and economically speaking, he realized how debates within religious communities can both help and hinder the efforts of civil rights. In animating the theological work of Martin Luther King, Jr. as founded in his moral leadership offerings, this paper will analyze how far the United States have come since the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. In disentangling the theo-economic ethos of King’s moral leadership offerings, this paper will bring to light the major facets of the movement’s economic focus.