Charita Goshay: Martin Luther King Jr. saw the real America

The Book of Deuteronomy in the Torah records God showing Moses a "promised land" that his people, the Israelites, would someday possess.

Though he had led them through many dangers, toils and snares in the 40 years after their exodus from slavery in Egypt, Moses would not be permitted to lead them into the Promised Land. That duty would fall to another.

On April 3, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a capacity crowd the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tenn.

At the conclusion of his speech, the video shows a man bearing the expression of one who, like Moses, was allowed to part the curtains of time and see a place he would not live to inhabit.

Foretelling fate

Chillingly, King foretold his own fate:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind ... Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!"

In the 40 years since his death, black America, bereft of its moral touchstone, has found itself wandering at times in a wilderness of self-destruction and despair.

The rate of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, a sure precursor of instability and poverty, has skyrocketed from 23 percent in 1960, to 70 percent. AIDS is killing blacks at a pandemic rate. Homicide is the No. 1 killer of young black men 15 to 24.

Bridging time

What did King see that night? Was he somehow able to gaze beyond this churning sea of troubles and see a black woman from the city once known as "Bombingham" serving as the Secretary of State?

Did he foresee the day when a black man could serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and no one would think twice about it? A day when astronauts, Fortune 500 company CEOs -- even the world's best golfer, would be black?

Unlike the rest of us, is it remotely possible that King envisioned a time when the offspring of an African father and a white mother from Kansas would be taken seriously as a presidential candidate?

Perhaps that night in Memphis, King was able to bridge the expanse of time and see people like me, able to do a job like this because of the sacrifices made by people like him. Maybe for one brief, shimmering moment, he saw the real America.

Reach Repository staff writer Charita Goshay at (330) 580-8313 or e-mail charita.goshay@cantonrep.com