Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...Day 4

Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. an Uncle Tom? Uncle Tom’s name in the same breathe as Dr. King’s, Jr., who is considered by many as the all time martyr of civil rights, would more than likely bring on looks of disdain from those hearing the question. Just to utter the name as a description of the historical figure who is the ultimate representative of the American-American community is an insult.

But recognizing that fact, leaves me trying to understand as to why one seldom bats an eye upon hearing the dreaded N…word that is so loosely used in the hood. The first word represents an African-American who is a sale out. The other word represents a certain status of an African-American. Both terms, are haunting reminders of the legacy of slavery. Both terms are negative labeling placed up on those who are found among the diverse African-American community. Especially when we profess to understand the struggles of our ancestors. Because it is so easy to do, unconsciously.

So, why am I labeling Dr. King, Jr. a "Tom"? Answer, because it is so easy to do. Was Dr. King a sale out? I didn’t think so. Was he an Uncle Tom? An Uncle Tom seeking to expose the powerbrokers for what they were, self-serving manipulating racialists? Yes. Dr. King, like Beecham’s Uncle Tom, understood the master’s cruel and brutal ways. Dr. King, Jr. nonviolent approach was a tactic used to expose the racialist for what he or she including the do-good racialists truly felt in their hearts.

Beecham’s Uncle Tom master‘s whip was the symbolic tool used to show the cruelty of man desire to bring another man into submission more so than God himself. As long as Tom was doing the whipping the master could say stop. But if the master had the whip, there was no legal tool in place to prevent the master from whipping those who were enslaved to death. So Uncle Tom saved lives by being Uncle Tom.

I am simply saying that Uncle Tom was not a sale out. Tom was the alternative to an inhumane master who would kill an enslaved just as quick as a mad dog. Tom understood his role was to challenge the master beliefs about the enslaved, which in turn enabled Tom to save lives. Dr. King, may indeed be labeled an Uncle Tom, as he gave his life challenging the belief that he too like Uncle Tom was more than a mere boy but a man with rights guaranteed and protected under the Constitution. Dr. King, Jr. challenged the racialists hearts and ultimately gave his life in demanding that the nation take notice that all of America's Americans were still not free.


Many will not celebrate his holiday, because they do not believe in judging a person by their character. Many. Dr. King, Jr. will be called names..but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was simply Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. King,Jr. only asked that we be the best that we could be...and a simply thing like watching what we call each other could be a starting point.