He believed that America needed a "radical redistribution of economic and political power." He challenged America's class system and its racial caste system. King called himself a democratic socialist. In August 1966 - as King was bringing his civil rights campaign to Northern cities to address poverty, slums, housing segregation and bank lending discrimination - the Gallup Poll found that 63% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of King, compared with 33% who viewed him favorably. The establishment's campaign to denigrate King worked. King was harassed by the FBI and vilified in the media. Both Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson worried that King was being influenced by Communists. As we anticipate this year's celebration on January 17, we can expect Americans from across the political spectrum invoke King's name to justify their beliefs and actions.īut in his day, King was considered a dangerous troublemaker. His birthday - Januis observed as a national holiday on the third Monday of January each year.
His name adorns schools and street signs. Today, he is viewed as something of an American saint. He wrote: "Politically he was a moderate, philosophically more Martin than Malcolm." In his absorbing profile of the writer Alex Haley (author of "Roots" and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X") in the New York Times Book Review, Michael Patrick Hearn made a familiar mistake.
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