"What Would Martin Say?"

"What Would Martin Say" by Clarence B. Jones and Joel Engel was published in 2008. The Martin in question is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a draft speech writer and adviser for King, Jones says he, at times, "literally put words" in King's mouth. When King sought out Jones, an attorney, for help on a thumped up tax evasion charge, Jones turned him down. Much to his wife's chagrin, Jones thought he was "too busy" to work for a cause larger than himself. King used a unique approach to change Jones' mind. Jones thought it was a "one and done" favor, but King was not done with him yet. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jones was inspired to write "What Would Martin Say" after visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. April 4, 2008 marked the fortieth anniversary of King's assassination and Jones says "I've tried to interpret what contributions he would add to his singular legacy if he were alive today." He likens doing this to Christians who ponder "What would Jesus do?".

In Chapter one of this 215 book, Jones covers, "What Did Martin Say About Me?". This is where Dr. King sort of guilts Jones into helping him with the tax evasion charge. Jones tells of King reciting a Langston Hughes poem, "Mother to Son", which he shares with readers. The gist of the poem is that the mother's life was not always easy but she is still "climbing" and expects her son to do likewise. In today's troubled economy, the poem is quite inspirational.

Other chapters in the book deal with the quality of contemporary black leaders, illegal immigration, affirmative action, the war on terror and "What Would Martin Say?" to James Earl Ray. In each chapter, Jones takes readers for a walk in the past, explaining King's reasoning on yesterday's issues. He ends chapters saying what King might say today about those issues and ways to resolve them.

Jones (and Engel) say that readers may not agree, with the assumptions of how King would think, if he were alive today. I agreed with most of it, such as in the case of the "Jena 6". Martin would not approve of violence to right a wrong and would say "accept the punishment". I did not, however agree with what the authors said about that case, because I think some facts of the incidents were overlooked. An example of that would be repeating that the attack on Justin was "unprovoked", which was not true. It appeared Jones was simply repeating words he heard via main stream media, than doing research on the case.

Imagine being a teenager in 2007 U.S.A. and feeling you need to ask a principal's permission to sit under a tree on school property as well as passing by a "White's Only" sign predominately displayed on the town's Barber Shop window. It is easy to say "turn the other cheek", but being treated on a daily basis as inferior due solely to skin color, could invoke the same angry feelings as any teen in 1950s Jim Crow southern U.S.A. If King were alive today, I think he would have been in Jena protesting the "cruel and unusual punishment" and unequal justice meted out to black teens with no charges against a white 18 year old for his beating of the black teen simply for trying to attend a party he was invited to.

"What Would Martin Say?" was published by Harper Collins Publishers. It is available online at www.harpercollins.com and sells for $23.95 in the USA. A blurb on the back cover, by Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News channel says "Clarence Jones Has written a book that every American should read." I would suggest that the book be required reading for students as young as of Junior High school age. There are invaluable history lessons in the book, as well as teachings for our youth to consider.