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January 16, 2006
MLK: Hero or Cheater?
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This week I examine Martin Luther King’s reputation. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be 77 years old today. The civil rights leader, Baptist minister and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize was born in 1929 and assassinated in 1968. He is still considered one of the world’s greatest heroes for his bravery, leadership and commitment to nonviolence during the pioneering years of the civil rights struggle in America. But unfortunately, his amazing legacy was also tarnished by several major indiscretions in his lifetime which, in my opinion, he didn’t handle properly. Some will not like that I even mention this, but Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a perfect man. Like all of us, he had his areas of weakness. He was not a saint. Sadly, because of the way he handled his indiscretions, he was both a hero and a cheater. As a result, his glowing reputation also has areas of tarnish.
A few facts which still affect Dr. King’s reputation and legacy today:
• One of King’s closest friends, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, wrote a book in 1989 called And the Walls Came Tumbling Down. In the book, Abernathy wrote about King’s “weakness for women” and how he indulged in extramarital affairs. In addition, Abernathy wrote, King was “always gracious and courteous to women.” As we know, Dr. King was not the only civil rights leader to have extramarital affairs.
• While working on his dissertation for his doctoral degree at Boston University, King heavily plagiarized from another author who had done research on a subject similar to King’s. In fact, while gathering and collating King’s writings for publication in the late 1980s, the editors of Stanford University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project discovered “extensive plagiaries” in his academic papers, including his 1955 doctoral dissertation. All these instances of plagiarism had escaped detection during King’s lifetime, even by his dissertation supervisors at Boston University. Dr. King must have feared being caught before and after receiving his doctorate, but not fearful enough to choose no over yes to cheating in the first place.
• It was also discovered King’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was not totally his own. In both letter and spirit, the rousing conclusion of King’s most famous speech borrows, without attribution, from one given eleven years earlier by family friend Archibald Carey at the 1952 Republican National Convention. Dr. King must have thought his own writings were not good enough for an important Washington D.C. event. It seems he struggled, at times, with insecurity. I think we all can relate with that feeling. He was a terrific writer and he even wrote one of his most famous speeches in a Birmingham jail.
So let’s remember a few reputation management tips from the mistakes of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
• Over time, the truth always bubbles to the top. The dissertation and academic writings of Dr. King are prime examples of plagiarism, which tarnished his reputation. The lesson: keep your reputation truthful and clean to not dilute or distract from your accomplishments. And when you do something inappropriate, don’t hide it. Repair it by coming clean with it yourself truthfully, humbly and transparently. Your apology must also come from your heart and not just in words.
• As a pastor, Christian leader and man of God, he is held to a higher standard for knowing the ultimate truth comes from the Lord. It is mentioned clearly in the Bible. As a result, coming clean with his wrongdoing should have been to God first before all others. But Dr. King’s worldly goals superceded his Godly goals, which was a huge mistake. Focusing on Godly or biblical goals will help keep us all on the path to truth.
• King should have humbly admitted his shortcomings to himself first and then the public before his death with no “ifs” or “buts.” Dr. King knew the reality and the truth about his indiscretions and he hoped no one would ever find out. That is an ostrich head-in-the-sand strategy which never works. If he did the right thing, we (the public) would have not only forgiven him, we would have respected him more for admitting he is not perfect. We would have also learned humility, transparency and accountability always builds character and trust through Dr. King as an example.
• Real men love their wives completely and honor both their wives and themselves with a marriage commitment for life. Cheating on your wife breaks that sacred trust and makes it very difficult to ever get that trust back again. It also severely damages your reputation and character with others. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything!™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.TheReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches or business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500.
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