Remembering Dr. King
January 19 – Today is MLK Day, in which we celebrate the “birthday” of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (which was actually four days ago on the 15th) and remember him as a nonviolent activist and hero of Civil Rights.
To take a moment of reflection, I think it is especially important to remember the life, work and legacy of MLK Jr. for everything that it was. Martin Luther King Jr. is a figure that fills a hole I believe is deeply missing in today’s day and age.
Many people might overlook the fact, or write it off as a mere footnote, that Dr. King was a Reverend. But you shouldn’t overlook that fact.
Dr. King was apart of what we will boil down for simplicity purposes as “the Christian Left”.
What we are seeing in today’s day and age is the continual bastardization of Christian imagery in order to progress an agenda of “Christian Nationalism”. While Civil Rights should rightfully be recognized as Dr. King’s legacy, his role as a prominent Christian and the undeniable role his Christianity had on his words and actions must be acknowledged.
“Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
Because Christian Nationalists of 2026 use phrases such as “Christ is King”, many from left-of-center to far-left tend to completely disregard religion as toxic, antiquated, oppressive or even “opiate of the masses”.
They should not.
It is fine if you personally are non-religious, but many folks do take their faith seriously. It is central to their lives and often influences their day-to-day decisions.
The Reverend Dr. King is no exception, and to lessen that idea his motives were deeply Christian would be to belittle his legacy entirely.
For those of you who consider themselves “on the left”, it is important you do not forget or belittle the impact faith and religion has on people. Furthermore, it is important that you be not afraid of speaking loudly and proudly your faith, but to never force that faith upon other people.
It does not need to be limited to Christianity. Malcolm X, upon returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca, immediately saw the brotherhood of all races as possible and even emphasized the need for the United States to understand Islam in order to address its racial issues.
Even Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, has made no secret of his being Muslim as well as a Democratic Socialist. Even in the face of Islamophobic slander, Zohran has not wavered on his faith and his ideological beliefs. So much so that they have spawned “Socialist Jihadist” at him, which is certainly a buzzword.
Zohran Mamdani is not forcing everyone in the New York City to revert to Islam or pay the jizyah. His faith drives his actions and his actions thus become his word.
What Christian Nationalists are attempting to do is force the idea of “we are a Christian nation”, in which Christianity is the law of the land and Christians are first-class citizens. A Christian Republic.
That is an idea and concept Dr. King could not get behind.
Dr. King was openly and proudly Christian, and on the day in which he remember and celebrate the good Reverend, I ask that people of all faiths remember his message of love, justice and equality for all of the people on earth. “All of God’s Children”, if you will.
The United States Pirate Party is a secular organization, and I don’t wish to let this religiously themed post convince you all we are taking a religious approach.
But individuals in the party, myself (Captain Jolly Mitch) included, are believers of some kind. It is the individual, not the movement, who should keep and live by their faith. If your faith is what brings you to do good for the world, then is that not reason enough to hold it proudly?
Remember, and Dr. King was the exemplar of this: faith without works is dead.