Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Some of us might note that MLK — while societally inspiring — was highly questionable in his personal life, but there are dozens of outstanding black heroes throughout U.S. history who deserve more recognition than they ever receive.
Martin Luther King Jr. did inspire millions and he did express laudable goals. But he also plagiarized from another black Republican, Archibald Carey, for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and also committed plagiarism in his dissertation (nowadays, he could have been president of Harvard!). Furthermore, King, a philanderer, was accused of having affairs with as many as 45 women. the Daily Mail explained, “Secret FBI tapes … accuse Martin Luther King Jr of having extramarital affairs with '40 to 45 women' and even claim he 'looked on and laughed' as a pastor friend raped a parishioner.” I do not know personally how valid the latter claim is, but King certainly was a serial adulterer. In other words, to put it mildly, he’s not exactly an ideal man to hold up as a national hero worthy of imitation.
The main issue I have with MLK Day is that a holiday for an individual is not just a celebration of the good results of that individual’s actions, but a celebration of the individual himself. Everyone makes mistakes, and usually some serious ones, as did the great — and morally good — Lincoln and Washington, whose birthdays used to be celebrated as holidays. But to have consistently done so many outright wicked things as King did, without major reformation, indicates a severely compromised character. Thus while it is entirely understandable to honor the good influences King had on politics and society, and to quote his words, I contend we should not have a federal holiday to celebrate him.
What we should have is much better education on the many black patriots who have done so much good for America throughout the centuries, many of them forgotten and some deliberately suppressed or vilified by Democrats. Leftists try to pretend now that only whites were patriotic American heroes, because they want to frame America as inherently racist and thus a target for destruction. The reality is that America has always been a country with heroes of every ethnicity and race. That is part of our greatness.
I don’t have the room to detail whole stories, but I want to provide a list of names of individuals. I highly recommend further reading to learn more about them.
There are so many black Revolutionary Patriots, including the black soldiers of Washington’s Indispensables and Immortals and the slave/spy Cato. One of my favorites is the brilliant slave-turned-Patriot double agent whose spy work was so essential to the American Revolution’s success, James Armistead Lafayette. The black soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill were Caesar Brown, Prince Estabrook, Grant Cooper, Prince Hall, George Middleton, Salem Poor and Peter Salem, with the latter two especially noted for their brave contributions. Then there’s Phillis Wheatley, the slave who became a Revolutionary Patriot poetess and America’s first published black author.
Related: Meet Slave, American Hero, and Patriot Spy James Armistead Lafayette
There were numerous black heroes of the Underground Railroad. These include the Railroad “General Superintendent” Elijah Anderson, who was imprisoned for his work and was found dead in jail under suspicious circumstances. We should likewise remember the “Forgotten Father of the Underground Railroad,” William Stil,l and the “Moses” of her people, former slave Harriet Tubman.
There are so many others. Booker T. Washington was a former slave who became an influential educator and moving orator. Augustus Tolton was America’s first black Catholic priest, who overcame intense racism to spread the love of God. Ida B. Wells was a civil rights champion and fearless journalist. Medgar Evers was the first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, and he was tragically assassinated for his work to achieve civil rights.
Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery to become an orator, a recruiter for the Union Army, and a civil rights champion. He helped persuade Abraham Lincoln that racism of any sort was wrong and that full civil rights were necessary for black Americans; Lincoln said he valued Douglass’s opinion above all others.
Samuel J. Lee went from slavery to being an outstanding attorney. He served as the first black speaker of the South Carolina House, though he later sadly “lost” a congressional seat through racist Democrats’ cheating. Hattie McDaniel was the talented actress who became the first black Academy Award winner. Sidney Poitier was the first black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar. They are only two of a host of pioneering black performers who overcame prejudice to shine on stage and screen, including “Bojangles” Robinson, Willie Best, the Golden Gate Quartet, Nat King Cole, Fred “Snowflake” Toones, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Louis Armstrong, James Baskett, and Blind Tom Wiggins.
Whole units and regiments of black soldiers also displayed collective heroism. The all-black — including all-black officers — 370th Infantry in WWI displayed such exceptional courage in battle that they were nicknamed the “Harlem Hellfighters” and they were awarded the prestigious French military award, the Croix de Guerre. The Tuskegee Airmen (including Daniel “Chappie” James Jr.), meanwhile, were the first black U.S. military flying unit that won over 850 medals for their heroism.
Other black U.S. military heroes include Dorie Miller, the first black American awarded the Navy Cross, and Vietnam soldiers Milton Olive III and Stanley C. Goff.
Among the many talented black American athletes were Jesse Owens and Mack Robinson, Olympic medalists, and Mack’s brother Jackie Robinson, the baseball star. Hiram Revels was the first black U.S. senator, and Joseph Rainey the first black congressman. Nancy Green (unfortunately cancelled by modern wokies) was the former slave who became America’s first living trademark, “Aunt Jemima.” George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist who discovered hundreds of uses for peanuts and soybeans. In our own day, Clarence Thomas is the Supreme Court justice who has held the line on Constitutionality.
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, take some time to research the many black men and women who helped make our country great.
