The message of one of civil rights’ greatest leaders is being misremembered, according to one Boston University faculty member.
Jennifer Yanco, executive director for the African Studies Center at Boston University, gave a lecture in SVSU’s Malcolm Field Theater Tuesday, Jan. 27, about the distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s intentions and objectives by members of the Millennial Generation, those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s.
Yanco is the author of “Misremembering Dr. King: Revisiting the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Indiana University Press published the text in 2014.
She began by highlighting the importance of King’s legacy, especially given the events of recent months.
She commended the ongoing movements around the United States and the world, like the protests in Ferguson, Mo.
Throughout her lecture, Yanco also discussed her opinions about the film “Selma,” a recent biopic made about King’s efforts in voting rights marches.
“I thought (Selma) was a very powerful film,” she said. “It conveyed urgency and a more accurate, as well as educational, depiction of King’s message.”
When Yanco asked audience members about their opinions of the film, most responded positively, aside from Jennifer Stinson, associate professor of history, who reiterated some of the film’s biggest criticisms.
Stinson commented that the relationship between King and President Lyndon B. Johnson was a “red herring” and that the film’s portrayal of Coretta Scott King was narrow.
Throughout the evening, Yanco read selections from her published text.
She often referred to the “giant triplets,” the serious moral threats to King’s message: militarism, materialism and racism.
Though Yanco was pleased many revere King as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century, she still feels as he is often only seen as an activist for racial equality, not racial justice.
“How did we forget what Martin Luther King Jr. did with his works so easily available in public libraries and book stores?” Yanco asked the crowd.
Yanco closed by recommending audience members take action for causes about which they feel strongly.
In addition to the lecture, Yanco also led two workshops inside Curtiss Hall Seminar Room G, entitled “Challenging Racism.”
One workshop was meant for students, the other for faculty and staff members.
Her text “Misremember Dr. King: Revisiting the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.” is available digitally on Amazon.