Legacy Leaders - Revd. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
We are delighted to share our next Legacy Leader. This week, Richard Reddie, Director of Justice and Inclusion at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland shares his memories of the inimitable MLK
Revd. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
I was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire – or God’s country as we like to call it! My parents were part of the Windrush Generation who migrated to this country from Jamaica in the late 1950s. I grew up in a very religious home and the church played a central role in my upbringing.
In our family home in Bradford, the Revd Dr Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) was second only to Jesus in importance. My parents, my dad in particular, was a real MLK afficionado and called him nothing but ‘Dr King’. When he mentioned his name, his face would always have a solemn aspect and there was a reverence in his voice.
I remember reading the ‘Strength to Love’, arguably MLK’s most famous book, while a teenager – our church had a copy in its library – and this whetted my appetite for not only MLK’s life, but also justice-related matters, particularly those involving any fight for the rights, respect and contributions of vulnerable groups or communities. Much like MLK, I view our world as profoundly unequal on a number of levels, and believe it is the responsibility of every Christian to struggle to make our world one in which ‘…justice roll[s] on like a river, [and] righteousness like a never-failing stream!’ As most will know, the latter is a quote from Amos 5:23 which was one of MLK’s most-liked scripture verses, and one he often quoted in speeches and sermons.
In 1997, I had the opportunity to visit Atlanta, Georgia in the USA, which was MLK’s hometown. My stay was inspiring and enlightening. I remember visiting the city’s museum that memorialises MLK’s life and the civil rights movement, and seeing an exhibit of a pair of boots and dungarees that were described as ‘Dr King’s marching gear’ (or words to that effect!). What surprised me at that point was that I had only ever seen photographs of him wearing a suit and a tie. The idea that he wore jeans and boots to march or protest got me to question what else I did not know about him.
In 2011, I was asked by the Christian publishers, Lion Hudson, to write a biography of MLK for their ‘History Makers’ series of books. The result was ‘Martin Luther King Jr: History Maker’, not the most imaginative of titles, but a book that was a pleasure to both research and write. It enabled me to find out so much more about a man who was a real radical for Christ – he was a down to earth, commonsense Christian who was more about ‘boots’ and ‘jeans’ than suits and ties. Finally, I would encourage everyone to take a deeper look at a man whose message still resonates today.
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Richard Reddie is a writer, researcher, cultural and religious commentator and broadcaster. He has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The Times, BBC Online, the Church Times, the Voice newspaper, Christianity, Keep the Faith, Third Way, Reform, ROOTS, and the Weekly Gleaner.
He has also taken part in a number of television and radio programmes such as Prayer for the Day (BBC Radio 4, 2018), Beyond Belief, (BBC Radio 2, 2013), Amazing Grace – The True Story of the Song (BBC 1, 2007), Sunday Worship in Ghana (BBC Radio 4, 2007), as well as BBC local radio and Premier Christian Radio.
He is also the author of Abolition! The struggle to abolish slavery in the British colonies (Lion Hudson, 2007), and the ground-breaking Black Muslims in Britain (Lion Hudson, 2009), which was the first scholarly research into this growing phenomenon. This book was subsequently turned into the documentary Young Muslim and Black by BBC Radio 4. In 2011, he wrote the well-received biography of Martin Luther King Jr: history maker (Lion Hudson, 2011). His latest book, Race for Justice, which he edited, was published by Lion Hudson in August 2022.
Richard is currently the Director of Justice and Inclusion at the leading ecumenical body, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
