Commentary #4 (Kairos)

The Right Words at the Right Time (aka Kairos)

On August 28, 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., executed one of the most recognized and remembered works of rhetoric in American history, his “I Have a Dream” speech. About 200,000 people flocked to the Lincoln Memorial to listen to King and/or to otherwise participate in the March on Washington, a demonstration held on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Simply stated, the purpose was to achieve civil rights for black American citizens.

An ordained minister, and the son of a minister, King was a skilled and experienced orator who knew what it took to not only attract a crowd but also engage it. As exemplified in his “Dream” speech, he understood the tools of effective rhetoric and used them to his advantage. Before he ever stepped up to the podium or uttered a word on that August 28, King had carefully laid the groundwork by concentrating on kairos. How wise of him to set the stage for this event by selecting the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the proclamation that officially ended slavery in the United States. Focusing on that appropriate and fleeting window of opportunity allowed him to invoke an important historical event and to peacefully, rightfully complain that the goal of Lincoln’s proclamation had not yet been fully realized. Furthermore, he knew the members of his audience (most of whom were both Christian and patriotic) and how to appeal to them.

King delivered his dramatic speech forty-four years ago, but just last Thursday, September 20, his name and his mission resurfaced in the news. The Associated Press (AP) reported a demonstration in Jena, Louisiana, where six black teens (the “Jena Six”) had been charged with the attempted murder of a white classmate, whom they allegedly beat up. Demonstrators, including Rev. Al Sharpton, protested the charges, declaring that, a few months earlier, three white teens accused of placing nooses in a tree on school grounds were only suspended from school, not prosecuted. The protestors claimed racial bias. Obviously attuned to good kairos, Martin Luther King III took the opportunity to compare the current issue with the civil-rights struggles of his father’s day. According to the AP, MLKIII said the six defendants may require punishment, but “the justice system isn’t applied the same to all crimes and all people.”

Now let’s project a bit. I have read that the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial – the first monument on the National Mall to honor a black American – is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2008. Furthermore, the forty-year anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., is April 4, 2008. Might we anticipate additional impressive demonstrations of kairos in the near future?

Carpe diem!