Remembering MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as a man who was able to look past racial bigotry and espouse a gospel of love. One of his most quoted lines is to judge others by the content of their character and not the color of the skin.

But we forget the political side of King. And in forgetting his fierce criticism of American foreign policy, we create a false dichotomy. There weren't two sides to King. King's criticisms of American foreign policy were rooted in his profound love for humanity.

King believed that America was increasingly on the wrong side of history. The United States was responsible for perpetrating unjustified violence against people of other nations. But because King's criticisms speak directly to today's condition, those in power wish to separate the two sides of Martin Luther King and downplay his political philosophies.

In a small way, I hope to make a similar statement against my country's role in the world. I have been sitting down for the national anthem because I resent the mindset that views the dissenter as an outcast. I reject the violence committed by the United States and the arrogance with which it's carried out. I see the national anthem not as a symbol of the equality but as a song of imperialism.