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opinion:
our view
King legacy dimmed
Martin Luther King
Jr. is perhaps one of the greatest freedom fighters of all time.
His legacy and contributions, not only to the black struggle,
but the American struggle, profoundly changed our country for
the better.
King's work, through non-violence, showed the ignorant that
blacks were indeed NOT an inferior race; but a group of people
that deserved equality.
The "I Have A Dream," speech, specifically, is a lasting
testament to King's lasting impact. People in this world have
heard that speech over and over again and it still affects them.
Even more importantly, there are some of us that hear that speech
for the first time and it immediately changes our lives.
Recently in an attempt to "preserve" the legacy of
King, his family has set up a company to control the use of
King's image and words.
As a result, the King family has begun filing lawsuits against
any outlet that uses the words of King without paying a licensing
fee. This includes all forms of the media and authors who quote
King in their books.
While it is understandable to protect the likeness of King,
his family is going about it all wrong and is indeed sending
the wrong message.
They are not against anyone remembering King's legacy, as long
as they are willing to pay the price. King's family has sued
USA Today and CBS, amongst others for use of King's words or
likeness without permission.
At this very same time, they are willing to sell King's likeness
and words for a television commercial, where he is used to hawk
a communications company.
This message is deplorable.
In the past the families of rock artists like Jimi Hendrix and
Bob Marley have assumed possession of their legacies and have
marketed their likenesses for profit.
As sick as this makes some, they are simply marketing something
that was already a commodity. Somebody is going to make money
off the music of Hendrix or Marley, so why shouldn't it be their
family?
The King issue is different, though. King is not a commodity;
he was a human being that has become an American icon. His speeches
were not about profit, they were about freedom and equality
for an entire nation.
People were not charged to stand by the Washington Monument
to hear him speak, he spoke for free and his profit for these
speeches were of the spiritual not the financial.
By assuming control of the King legacy, his family is dangerously
close to tarnishing the memory of his impact. Who wants to pay
to use something that should be used for free?
More importantly, there is no reason why anyone should be charged
for the use of words that are synonymous with our country's
history.
Nobody is sitting back and collecting fat checks every time
we sing the "Star-Spangled Banner," or every time
somebody prints the "Declaration of Independence."
Therefore, the King family should not charge people for the
use of his memory.
The King families actions are clearly not for the protection
of their departed loved one, it is for their own financial gain.
When is this world going to learn that money is the root of
all evil?
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