What would Martin Luther King, Jr. say? (originally written Jan. 18, 2017)

Watching Dr. King use non-violence against those who preferred the wood of the nightstick in the sixties was inspiring. The man was an exceptionally rousing speaker and used every single syllable to make his case for justice and fairness for all, but especially for America's negroes.

Millions of Blacks and Whites responded by opening their minds and hearts to his dream that one day people would be judged by the content of their character instead of their skin color. Dr. King also knew that there was more than just one way to be prejudiced, and that there was also something called, 'reverse racism.' In the case of the negro, it was entirely understandable after so many years of oppressive laws and despicable treatment by so-called 'good decent people' not only in the old South but also by hypocrites in bastions of neutrality like some northern states.

The Black man's time had come and equality for all would wait no longer. Dr. King's marches attracted hundreds of participants and thousands of viewers on television, and he stood by his preference for non-violence when it would have been easier to fight back. His movement gained steam and many 'fence-sitting' observers saw the courage of this preacher as he was arrested and jailed for his beliefs. They joined him in spirit as his cause moved forward, and while there were many prominent people that supported him, there were also many ordinary men and women, too.

One of them was John Lewis, now a Congressman from Georgia, who was born into a poor sharecropper family in Troy, Alabama in1940, and ever since his early adulthood has been at the forefront of the civil rights movement. There is no question that Mr. Lewis has earned his place in the pantheon of America's civil rights leaders by his work in the 60s and later, but even icons like him make mistakes and can stray from the path. Such is the case with his actions today.

His comments on President-elect Donald Trump's 'legitimacy' (he believes that he has none because of the 'Russian interference' in the 2016 election) betrays a deep-seated wound. He sees the reins of government turned over from 'his man,' Barack Obama, to an 'illegitimate' outspoken one like Mr. Trump. Furthermore, it was comments by Mr. Trump about the state of America's inner city Black communities and the fact that Democrats (like Mr. Lewis and his colleagues) had done nothing to help America's Blacks for half a century that made Lewis angry and ready to punch back.

He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), an organization within Congress that is only populated by African-American representatives, and has, as its goals, to:  "positively influence the course of events pertinent to African-Americans and others of similar experience and situation," and "...achieve greater equity for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services." It has grown from 13 members in 1971 to 45 members today. (A White candidate for Congress, Steve Cohen, applied for membership in 2006, but was refused, leaving some to scratch their heads and wonder if Martin Luther King, Jr. would also have refused to have one more member join him in the fight against racism.)

Representative Lewis should look into his own heart this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and ask himself if calling other people illegitimate is not drinking from the same stream that anti-Black groups drank from during the time he was working to champion the negro's rights. It is uncomfortably reminiscent of a time in American history when the double standard was the only standard or method of behavior towards Black America. The fact that Congressman Lewis and other members of the CBC have decided to boycott the inauguration of our 45th President says volumes about political retribution. They have directed their ire towards a man who challenged the legitimate birthplace of our 44th President (it must be said that stonewalling Mr. Trump on this issue was politically advantageous for President Obama). They were also taken aback, as previously stated, by Mr. Trump's audacity in visiting America's inner cities and questioning why the lives of millions of Black Americans hadn't improved under Democratic Party rule.

Couple those two things with their party's loss at the polls in November and you have a recipe for staying home from the inauguration and licking their wounds. It is nonetheless regrettable, that they choose to do so because their actions will only call attention to themselves as being part of a monolithic special-interest organization that cares only about its own members and is unwilling to show solidarity with all Americans.

The only upside to this drama is the fact that by boycotting the inauguration, the CBC and other Democrat Representatives have freed up 30-40 more seats for other fair-minded Americans to attend.

Stephan Helgesen is a retired diplomat and now political strategist and author. He has written over 600 articles and books on politics, economics and social trends. He has written extensively on the subject of equal rights. He can be reached at: stephan@stephanhelgesen.com