Opinion: MLK’s dream was not to ignore race-based identities

Toward engaging other viewpoints, we offer an alternative perspective to the article published on Aug. 6, “Are Classrooms Exchanging MLK’s Dream for Identity Politics?”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was not to ignore race and race-based identities. While he aspired that one day Black children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but on the basis of their character, he also consistently emphasized that in order to reach such a dream, racial injustice and white power structures needed to be dismantled. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, he wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” To infer that critical race theory contradicts King’s dream is far from the objective truth. The causes of which King sacrificed his life, and our current political environment post-George Floyd, define the necessity for the continued study of critical race theory.

Instead of discussing ways to achieve King’s vision of ending racial injustice, George’s commentary perpetrates the ideology of victim blaming. Critical race theory is a robust theory that is studied by academic professionals of race, human development, law and the American Constitution. Brief overviews such as George’s oversimplify critical race theory in a way that misrepresents its history and purpose.

Kevin M. Korous and Darlene McDonald

Salt Lake City