Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: “Justice Rolls Down”

“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr. (I Have a Dream, 1963)

“Justice Rolls Down” (c) Darla Welton 2020

Inspired by travels, studies, and relationships from the past few years of my life I painted my synesthetic version of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (which he wrote on scraps of paper from his cell), alongside his “I Have a Dream speech.” The painting also references his eulogy for the four little girls martyred in the 16th Street Baptist bombing, as well as the Lorraine motel in Memphis where he was assassinated.

The ardent rhetoric of Dr. King’s speeches and writings are unparalleled. If you have not taken the time to read or listen to them, I urge you to do so today. He was imperfect, but impassioned. I resonate with that deeply.

Looking around Detroit where I live, it’s easy to take history at face value – the evidence of brokenness is everywhere. However, one quick peek under the surface and you’ve entered a complicated dimension that begs you to seek the truth about civil rights history and systemic racism. For many people, it’s easier to avoid the truth and the tension than it is to face it. But as Dr. King said, “I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” The paper tears in my painting not only reference the scraps of paper on which Dr. King wrote his letter from the jail, but also the tension of the mind and society.

Living near Wayne State University I’ve been privileged to participate in the law school’s Detroit Equity Action Lab discussions about racism as well as events and initiatives. I’ve had the honor of learning from Detroit historian Jamon Jordan about the plight of the immigrant, the former slave, and the “free” African-American in this city. Going beyond the city, Josh and I road-tripped across the American south, traversing the civil rights freedom trail from Memphis, to Atlanta, to Tuskegee, to Selma, and to Montgomery.

Our visit to the National Civil Rights Museum located at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated transformed us. Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on foot and meeting Sam Walker – historian from the National Voting Rights Museum, who completed the famous march from Selma to Montgomery as an 11 year old boy in 1965 and then again with President Obama in 2015 – overwhelmed us. Walking through the National Memorial for Peace and Justice broke us. Confronting truths about our national and local history is the first step toward understanding, reconciliation, and moving forward. It’s ugly. It’s painful. It’s real. It’s worth our time.

All of these places and these people have created space for truth-telling and reflection, and are an incredible part of our sacred journey.

These studies and travels inspired our Still Building America project in many ways. We are grateful for the privilege to protect and perpetuate civil rights justice to all of our neighbors . . . we promise to do our part.

READ: Letter From Birmingham Jail. My favorite of his rhetoric. Powerful.
AUDIO: Dr. King later recorded his letter.
READ: I Have a Dream speech.
AUDIO: I Have a Dream Speech.