Martin Luther King, jr. Was A Republican

Martin Luther King, jr. Was A Republican - Norman E. Hooben August 6, 2008

I have long held the belief that Martin Luther King was a Republican now along comes what I would call substantial proof.

The basis for my hypostasis would be the underlying message of his speeches. And, although I confess that I have not read a great deal of his writings, the various magazines and periodicals that one finds in waiting rooms and libraries have substantiated my lone opinion.

Now why would I suggest that Reverend King was a Republican when he himself did not publicize the fact? For one thing his messages were about an ideology that for the most part supports that of the party of Lincoln. These communiqués were given to people that generally supported his views and to suggest to any one of them that they should or should not belong to a particular political party was beneath his character. He wanted both parties to adopt the themes he expressed. By doing so left such decisions to the individual.

Other bits of information that are known but not widely disseminated are that King’s father was a Republican although he did switch his vote for John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. With that said I could certainly deduce that within King’s personal realm, such as his immediate family, that private knowledge would be shared amongst them; party affiliation was a private thing with the King family shared only with the family.

Recently I’ve come to learn that indeed my so-called lone opinion is more widely spread. Searching the Internet, as I so often do, I discovered Frances Rice a black Republican who shares my views. Rice, not to be confused with Condoleezza, is the leader of the Sarasota (Florida) based national Black Republican Association (NBRA). Her messages have brought about condemnation from Democrats, a stronghold of black voters. Not least among such condemnations was the billboard she raised in Florida depicting the phrase, “Martin Luther King was a Republican.”

You can learn more of Frances Rice and the NBRA here: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080803/ARTICLE/808030351/0/SPORTS0401 and here: http://www.nbra.info/

Getting back to family matters we now have Reverend King’s daughter, Dr. Alveda C. King echoing that same announcement displayed on the Florida highways. So without further ado please listen (see video below) to her in her own words. Words that I certainly believe; what I would call substantial proof.