Modernism in MLK’s Final Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. had a major voice in the Civil Rights Movement.  He showed his people that they had the power to fight for what they believe in and equality. In his speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”, he addresses his support for the sanitation workers at Mason Temple on strike. This speech would be his last, coming a day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.  Although the speech is to workers, it correlates to all of the people during that time that suffering inequality. The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism both correspond quite well with another in King’s story. An important element of modernism pertaining to MLK’s fight and speeches is the loneliness that him and his people felt against society. MLK was a minister, and preached the word of God, and ultimately his dream. The society wanted segregation, while Martin Luther King Jr. has a dream of people coming together regardless of race. “But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” MLK was not going to give up and the black people persevered through these tough times. His message still lives on to this day with the fight for equality.

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