MLK: “A Voteless People Is A Powerless People.”

Posted on | January 19, 2026 | 1 Comment

Mike Magee

Today is Martin Luther King Day. And in three days we’ll commemorate the 53rd anniversary of LBJ’s death. When MLK was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968, LBJ asked Americans to seize a higher ground.

He said, in part: I ask every citizen to reject the blind violence that has struck Dr. King, who lived by nonviolence…I know that every American of good will joins me in mourning the death of this outstanding leader and in praying for peace and understanding throughout this land…It is only by joining together and only by working together that we can continue to move toward equality and fulfillment for all of our people. I hope that all Americans tonight will search their hearts as they ponder this most tragic incident.”

That’s quite a contrast to our current President’s remarks following the shooting death of Renee Goods’ by an ICE agent last week. Exonerating the killer, he decided to label the 37 year old dead mother of three as “very, very disrespectful to law enforcement.”

Predictably, that event has led to mass demonstrations in Minnesota’s twin cities, and further ICE escalation with 2000 federal agents (in contrast to a domestic police force of 500) in the region. And yet, on MLK’s holiday, the outraged citizens in cities throughout the nation have largely embraced non-violence.

In signing that original proclamation in 1983 for a national holiday bearing the name of our famous defender of civil rights, coming a short two decades after the signing of the Civil Rights Act, it is useful to remember what President Ronald Reagan said: “The majesty of his message, the dignity of his bearing, and the righteousness of his cause are a lasting legacy. In a few short years he changed America for all time.”

But MLK’s son reminds that his father knew very well that a day like today was not about glorifying him. What then is it for? Here are his words this past weekend: “My father was often traveling during the voting rights campaign. But my mother took the time to explain to my siblings and me what each of the Civil Rights movement campaigns was trying to accomplish. ‘The right to vote is a central goal of our freedom movement,’ she’d say. ‘Without it, we will continue to be oppressed. But with it, we can help change our society and make America better for everyone.’ The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool that the citizens have at their disposal. As we see an unacceptable increase in political violence, voter intimidation and other barriers that make voting harder, we need to remind all Americans that our political differences must be decided at the ballot box and elections need to be free and fair. As my dad said, ‘A voteless people is a powerless people.’”