Vivian speaks about legacy of M. L. King

Rev. C.T. Vivian, a renowned legend of the Civil Rights Era, celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Feb. 21 at the Bunting Meyerhoff Interfaith Center as part of the Ninth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation.

Vivian discussed the prophetic nature of King to American society.

"The basic idea is Martin really is the prophet of our age," said Vivian in an interview before his speech. "And my talk will prove it by what has happened throughout his life that fulfills the characteristics of a prophet."

Unfortunately, today's society has developed a misconception of what characterizes a prophet, said Vivian. A prophet is not defined by the ability to foresee the future but is distinguished by other, more significant characteristics.

"[To realize] this idea of a real prophet [requires] a deep understanding of the spiritual nature of a prophet, of the calling itself," he said. "Such prophets delineate the necessary issues of the time and speak to the conceptions that we must make a part of our lives."

Moreover, a prophet does not merely orate the necessary ideals but also illustrates them through his actions, said Vivian, thereby transforming them into "flesh."

"It is necessary for the word to become flesh," said Vivian. "It is out of that that we see what is possible in our age."

King, Vivian maintained, moved the public to demand reform without using violent tactics, thereby inflating the movement to a spiritual level.

"We were not involved in a civil rights movement but a spiritual movement," maintained Vivian. "What had to be finished couldn't be finished by law. This kind of understanding makes it possible to properly appreciate Martin."

Vivian highlighted a few specific characteristics that distinguish a prophet and then applied them to King.

Foremost, a prophet must receive a calling and not be voluntarily motivated to impact society, said Vivian; in King's case, his leadership role was entirely unsought-after.

"It was something that happened; he wasn't concerned about being a leader," said Vivian. "It was the people that chose him."

Also, a true prophet must at some point be tested by "man and God," said Vivian, who cited King's original temptation to resort to violence, desiring revenge and self-defense when opponents bombed his house and in turn nearly injured his family. His friends offered to respond to the attackers with violence, but King said, "Violence creates more problems than it solves."

Furthermore, a prophet must be called by God, and Vivian related King's personal "epiphany" when he heard the words of God. Contemplating the need to own a gun to protect his family, "he heard a small voice and it told him, 'I will be with you. I will be with you forever.'"

"Martin didn't worry from that time on," said Vivian. "He didn't worry about dying. He wouldn't defend himself."

However, his colleagues struggled to indirectly shield him from threats. "We knew the movement without Martin would not move," said Vivian.

Indeed, Vivian felt King was absolutely essential to the decrease in racial tensions in America, there being no substitute sufficient for his role.

"Without Martin being able to lead a nonviolent people, we would have had an outright shoot-out on the streets of this nation," said Vivian. "Martin led us to something above that.