On April 9th, 1968, the body of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. was pulled in a rustic farm cart through the streets of Atlanta by two humble brown mules. His funeral procession included a trailing throng of tens of thousands.
The images are startling. There is no pomp, there are no uniforms, and there are certainly no ostrich-plumed friesians and glass-walled hearses. There is nothing haughty, nothing gaudy, and nothing unreachable here. Martin Luther went to the grave as he lived—among the people. Speaking, even after his death, of equality. Speaking to the poor, the laboring, and the oppressed. Speaking of the strength of common humanity, and of the work still to be done.
May all our brays be with him.
FB
Beautifully said.
ReplyDeleteWonderful perspective for today. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Fenway..
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lovely post.
ReplyDeleteFenway,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lovely post. I was doing some research on mules and ran across this "mule". http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/mule/index.html
Have you heard of such a thing?
Great men and mules have always gone together. I've read that Alexander The Great's funeral cortège was drawn by white mules.
ReplyDeleteIn America, the mule is recognized as the avatar of patient, unrewarded labor. Your post gives me chills, Fenny, We all have a lot of work to do.
Fondest regards from the City of Brotherly Love.