TDS Time Machine | How Not to Celebrate MLK Day

Summary

Summary of "The Daily Show: Ears Edition" Episode: "TDS Time Machine | How Not to Celebrate MLK Day"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Daily Show: Ears Edition
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and Paramount Podcasts
• Description: Jon Stewart and The Daily Show News Team delve into today's most significant headlines. The “Ears Edition” of The Daily Show offers full episodes, extended content, exclusive interviews, and more. Listeners can enjoy a 20% discount on all The Daily Show products using the code "TDS20" at ParamountShop.com. The show airs weeknights on Comedy Central at 11/10c and is available for streaming on Paramount+.
• Episode: TDS Time Machine | How Not to Celebrate MLK Day
• Release Date: January 19, 2025

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Introduction

The episode titled "TDS Time Machine | How Not to Celebrate MLK Day" delves into the various ways Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is commemorated, highlighting both respectful tributes and contentious missteps. Hosted by Roy Wood Jr., with contributions from Desi Lydic, Dulce Sloan, Van Newkirk, and Trevor Noah, the discussion navigates through humorous exchanges, critical insights, and a deep-dive interview focusing on MLK's true legacy.

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Opening Remarks and Initial Discussions (00:00 - 02:00)

Roy Wood Jr. kicks off the episode by questioning the audience about their plans to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, showcasing a comedic take on how some may neglect the day's significance.

Notable Quote:

• Roy Wood Jr. [00:48]: "232 push ups for Martin. So this ain't reparations, but this is enough."

This segment underscores a prevalent lack of meaningful engagement with MLK's ideals, setting the stage for the episode's exploration of authentic versus superficial celebrations.

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Misuse of MLK Day for Commercial Gains (02:00 - 09:00)

The conversation shifts to how MLK's legacy is sometimes exploited for commercial purposes, resulting in misguided tributes that stray from his true message.

Key Points:

• Confusing Celebrations: Desi Lydic and Van Newkirk discuss mundane activities like checking out of a hotel or getting coffee as ways people might "celebrate" the day without connecting to its deeper meaning.

• Commercial Misinterpretations: Dulce Sloan and Trevor Noah highlight instances where businesses misuse MLK Day for promotional purposes, such as sales that inadvertently disrespect his legacy.

Notable Quotes:

• Van Newkirk [03:53]: "She earned that to do what we want to do."
• Trevor Noah [07:13]: "For MLK Day, 25% off for black clothes. What it should be is 100% off for black people."

The segment critiques how MLK’s image is commodified, emphasizing the disconnect between his profound advocacy for racial and economic justice and contemporary trivializations.

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Controversial Events and Disrespectful Tributes (09:00 - 12:00)

The hosts discuss specific incidents where MLK’s legacy has been misappropriated, leading to public backlash and canceled events.

Key Points:

• Freedom to Twerk Party: A controversial event poster featuring MLK with a gold chain and promoting a party called "Freedom to Twerk" led to widespread disapproval and subsequent cancellation.

Notable Quotes:

• Trevor Noah [08:43]: "It was supposed to take place at... there will be no twerking here."
• Desi Lydic [10:02]: "A flyer for a local event that bears his image is causing quite a stir."

These examples illustrate the sensitivity required when referencing historical figures, especially those like Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy is intertwined with serious social justice issues.

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In-Depth Interview: Van Newkirk on MLK’s Legacy (12:00 - 21:53)

The episode features an insightful interview with Van Newkirk, a writer at The Atlantic, discussing his special commemorative issue titled "A Look at the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Key Discussion Points:

1. Mythologizing MLK: Van Newkirk argues that MLK is often presented in an oversimplified manner, focusing on his most famous speeches while neglecting the full scope of his activism and ideologies.

2. Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movement: The conversation highlights the crucial yet often overlooked contributions of women like Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks, emphasizing that MLK's achievements were supported and influenced significantly by female counterparts.

3. MLK’s True Legacy: The discussion delves into MLK's opposition to capitalism and the Vietnam War, challenging the predominantly positive portrayal that sidesteps his more radical stances.

4. Assassination's Impact: Van Newkirk presents a nuanced view of MLK's assassination, suggesting it marked not just a tragic loss but also a potential derailment of a broader revolutionary movement against systemic injustices.

Notable Quotes:

• Van Newkirk [04:11]: "The real Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Not the whitewashed Hallmark version."
• Dulce Sloan [05:02]: "MLK was out there getting it and probably still could."
• Van Newkirk [12:15]: "Engine of the movement, women like Coretta Scott King weren't just support; they were pivotal in shaping his political and economic ideas."

Critical Insights:

• Challenging Simplistic Narratives: Newkirk emphasizes the importance of understanding MLK's multifaceted legacy beyond iconic speeches, advocating for a comprehensive exploration of his political and social philosophies.

• Legacy in Modern Context: The interview addresses how contemporary society interprets MLK's legacy, often limiting it to naive ideals without recognizing the strategic and sometimes contentious aspects of his activism.

• Economic and Social Stagnation: Citing studies from the Economic Policy Institute, Newkirk points out persistent disparities in wealth, homeownership, and educational segregation among African Americans, questioning the notion of a "victorious" civil rights movement.

Conclusion of the Interview: Van Newkirk posits that MLK would continue to be an active protester against ongoing injustices, underscoring the perpetual nature of the fight for equality and justice.

Notable Quote:

• Van Newkirk [20:46]: "King... his activism was always agitating. It was always moving forward and progressing."

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Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up (21:00 - End)

The episode wraps up by reiterating the need for authentic celebration and understanding of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. The hosts encourage listeners to engage deeply with his teachings and commit to ongoing activism in the spirit of MLK.

Closing Statements:

• Desi Lydic [21:43]: "It's an amazing issue of the Atlantic, King. Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus."

The conclusion serves as a call to action for listeners to honor MLK Day with genuine reflection and purposeful actions rather than superficial gestures.

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Key Takeaways

1. Authentic Commemoration: MLK Day should be observed with meaningful activities that reflect his dedication to racial equality, economic justice, and anti-capitalism, rather than trivial or commercialized events.

2. Comprehensive Legacy: Understanding MLK's full legacy requires moving beyond his most famous speeches to acknowledge his broader political and social efforts, as well as the significant roles played by women in the movement.

3. Ongoing Struggles: Despite historical advancements, systemic issues like wealth gaps and educational segregation persist, highlighting the continuous relevance of MLK's vision and activism.

4. Critical Engagement: Listeners are encouraged to critically engage with MLK's teachings and apply them to contemporary social justice challenges, ensuring that his legacy inspires ongoing progress rather than stagnation.

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By combining humor with critical analysis, "The Daily Show: Ears Edition" provides a nuanced exploration of how Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is both celebrated and misinterpreted in modern society, urging listeners to honor his memory with depth and intentionality.

Transcript

[Trevor Noah]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Since the Daily show finally hired a black host, we can properly celebrate Martin Luther King Day by asking New Yorkers how they celebrate his legacy. Shut up. Don't interrupt me. On Martin Luther King Day. That ain't cool. So let's do this. Do y'all know what today is?

[Desi Lydic]

We're lost.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

We're lost there. Do you know what day it is today?

[Desi Lydic]

It's Monday.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

What you do today?

[Desi Lydic]

Well, today we just woke up. We just checked out of our hotel.

[Dulce Sloan]

We haven't done that.

[Van Newkirk]

We're going to go get coffee and.

[Desi Lydic]

We'Re gonna walk around.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

So which one of those celebrates Martin Luther King Day?

[Desi Lydic]

Well, none of what we've talked about so far.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

232 push ups for Martin. So this ain't reparations, but this is enough. That's right. Give me one hand once. Yeah, that's right. What y'all doing to celebrate ML?

[Van Newkirk]

Okay, came to New York.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Came to New York. That's it. That's all y'all gonna do.

[Van Newkirk]

Saw some shows, ate some food, did some shopping.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

All right, I'm gonna come back to y'all on Juneteenth. And y'all better have done better, don't you? Like when he like, you know, refused to move to the back of the bus.

[Desi Lydic]

I can remember snippets through the world news.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

He didn't refuse. That was Rosa Parks. Was that name a famous MLK quote?

[Van Newkirk]

I have a dream.

[Desi Lydic]

I have a dream. I have a dream.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

And what does he say after that?

[Desi Lydic]

I'm not sure.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Name a famous MLK quote besides, I have a dream.

[Trevor Noah]

Besides, I have a dream.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I will pay you $1 million if you could tell me something else that Martin Luther King said.

[Desi Lydic]

He told his children he loved them.

[Van Newkirk]

Millionaire so.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Lady, you do not know what he.

[Desi Lydic]

Said to his children.

[Van Newkirk]

Can we google it?

[Dulce Sloan]

No.

[Van Newkirk]

The. I have a dream that one day. That's all I got.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I have a dream that one day white people will actually know what's in that damn speech. Okay, just name five black people.

[Desi Lydic]

Eddie Murphy.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That's the only black person you know. Eddie Murphy.

[Desi Lydic]

Myron Leftwich.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Who the is Myron Leftwich?

[Dulce Sloan]

Myron Leftwich is in the NFL as.

[Van Newkirk]

An offensive line coach.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Don't nobody know him. He's making up names now. So how you celebrate Martin Luther King?

[Trevor Noah]

Not too sure.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

So that's what he died for, man. For you just to be out here just not doing nothing on this day. Nah, I'm just kidding. You can do whatever you want, man. You Black. We're gonna go see the Lion King, okay? This guy King and the fire. I mean, that's as close as you can, I take it.

[Van Newkirk]

The freedom and liberty to go about and do what we want to do. That's our celebration.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

See, that's a quote from a black woman right there. That's right. She earned that freedom and the liberty.

[Van Newkirk]

She earned that to do what we want to do.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That's right.

[Trevor Noah]

I'm just.

[Van Newkirk]

It's your birthday.

[Dulce Sloan]

How old are you?

[Van Newkirk]

I'm 50.

[Dulce Sloan]

What?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Dulce Sloan]

Black.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Don't crack. It don't crack. You still need lotion, though.

[Desi Lydic]

For more on Dr. King's legacy, we turn now to Dulce Sloan, everybody. Hello, Dulce. If. If Martin Luther King were here, where do you think he would stand on the government shutdown?

[Van Newkirk]

I think he would stand inside. Cause it's too damn cold. Why is Martin Luther King Day on the coldest day of the year? I mean, why can't we celebrate him in July? Then we can, you know, march outside and have a cookout.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah, but then it wouldn't be on his birthday.

[Van Newkirk]

Oh, so a black man can't have two birthdays? It's 2019, Trevor. I thought we moved past this.

[Desi Lydic]

What? I didn't know there was a civil rights. Anyway, never mind. What? Okay, while you're indoors today, what do you think and what are you remembering about Dr. King's legacy?

[Van Newkirk]

You know what I wanna remember? The real Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Not the whitewashed Hallmark version. Because every year people talk about the same stuff. The I have a Dream speech, the March on Washington, how he had the voice of a Scooby Doo ghost. I have a dream. And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids. But the real Dr. King did not fit in any box. White moderates think he would have been on their side, but he thought they were worse for the civil rights movement than the Klan. And mattress stores are out here having MLK day sales. But Dr. King was anti capitalist. And even though he was a reverend and a man of God, he allegedly had a whole bunch of affairs.

[Desi Lydic]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, hold on. Even if that's true, I mean, that he. That he had affairs, isn't it disrespectful to mention that on his birthday?

[Van Newkirk]

I don't think so. It's part of his legacy. A reminder that our heroes aren't perfect, they're people. And I'm not being disrespectful. Just the opposite. MLK was out there getting it and probably still could. I mean, if he showed up on my Bumble, I'd take him to the mountaintop in the valley load.

[Desi Lydic]

I've never thought of MLK on Bumble.

[Van Newkirk]

Well, he wouldn't be on Tinder. That man had class. If everyone knew that fighting for civil rights could get you some, a lot more people would fight for equality, equal pay, voting rights. And whoever can stop black people from getting shot by the police will tonight. Okay. I show up. I'll show up.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

All right?

[Van Newkirk]

Now, first you get a million in the streets, then you get a million in the sheets.

[Desi Lydic]

Don't say Sloan. Everybody. What is Martin Luther King Day, and how should people celebrate it? Well, for more on this, we turn to a man who has had many dreams that no one wants to hear about. Roywood Jr. Everybody. Welcome, boy. Welcome.

[Trevor Noah]

Good to see you. Good to see you. Mandela. Look, MLK Day is a special day for America. And it's a special day for me as someone who has been mistaken for Martin Luther King, Jr. Many times. But. But as we get further and further away from his life, it's easy to forget what he was really about. Which means sometimes people celebrate them in a really up way. So today I'd like to show y'all some of my favorite MLK ups, like this one.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

The holiday didn't go as planned for some today. A business in Duluth, Minnesota, created controversy when promoting a sale in honor of the civil rights leader. The sign posted at the shop read, MLK Day Sale. 25% off, everything black. But the owner says it was just misinterpreted.

[Desi Lydic]

25% off, everything black.

[Dulce Sloan]

He was black.

[Desi Lydic]

He was proud. He looked good.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

We were celebrating that.

[Trevor Noah]

Are you serious? For MLK Day, 25% off for black clothes. What it should be is 100% off for black people. Free at last, free at last. Pants tops and coats are free at last.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah, Roy. You know what makes it worse is that if you read Dr. King's speeches, you'll see that he was opposed to consumerism and wasteful capitalism.

[Trevor Noah]

That's right. Celebrating MLK Day with a sail is like commemorating Samuel L. Jackson Day by whispering, that's not what the man stands for. It's not like in the middle of his mountaintop speech, Dr. King just broke off. Remember me, with savings too insane to be believed. I might not get to that store with you, but my eyes have seen the power of the discount. Come on, Coretta, let's roll.

[Desi Lydic]

You know, it actually. It actually is Unfortunate, because it seems like some white people are out of touch with Dr. King's legacy.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, it's not just a white thing. In fact, Dr. King might actually be proud that on his special day, people of all colors and backgrounds have been up.

[Desi Lydic]

As we pause to honor Dr. King this year, a flyer for a local event that bears his image is causing quite a stir. But as NBC 25's Walter Smith tells us right now, the party is now canceled. The party promoters nowhere to be found.

[Trevor Noah]

This poster has a lot of people shaking their heads in disgust.

[Dulce Sloan]

It shows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wearing a gold chain promoting a party called Freedom to Twerk.

[Trevor Noah]

It was supposed to take place at.

[Dulce Sloan]

This club, but it's been canceled. The owner says he's disgusted and there'll.

[Trevor Noah]

Be no twerking here. There will be no twerking here. Sound like Gandalf in a Tyler Perry movie. That will be no twerking here. And then, you know, the strippers fly all over the place. Also, how are you gonna photoshop Dr. King with gold chains to try and make him look cool? He was already cool. Look at these real pictures of Dr. King from back in the day. Look at him playing pool in a suit, in a civil rights fresh from a march. That shot's so cool, it doesn't matter if he misses. And here he is making the library look cool, standing in front of books like they stacks of money. But this is my favorite Martin Luther King wearing sunglasses inside. Trevor, he could have taken that call in private, but he left the door open for the haters. But maybe, maybe the most popular activity on MLK day is using his legacy to push your own agenda. And no one has done it in a more interesting fashion than this guy.

[Desi Lydic]

I believe that Gun Appreciation Day honors the legacy of Dr. King. And the truth is I think Martin Luther King would agree with me if he were alive today, that if African Americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country's founding, perhaps slavery might not have been been a chapter in our history.

[Trevor Noah]

Okay, okay, hold up. I'm pretty sure on Dr. King's list of priorities, giving slaves guns comes way below not having slaves in the first place. The logic, the logic makes no sense. This makes no sense. How would you do that? Like do you think the slave owners would have just had a little chit chat? Well, shit, we set them free. No, don't set em free. Let's make it interesting. Give em shotguns. Now I will say this. If slaves did have guns, the movie Roots would've only been 15 minutes long. Your name is Toby, or whatever you want us to call you. That's cool. What is it cool to call you?

[Desi Lydic]

So, so, Roy, we've seen people mess it up, you know, with sales or, you know, with their own agendas. But what is the proper way to celebrate Dr. King's legacy?

[Trevor Noah]

Listen, man, it's simple. MLK was for racial equality, economic justice, and stood against the exploitation of the poor. And he did so because he knew that one day our great nation would rise above bigotry, injustice, and poverty. And on that day, my friends, there will be twerking for everyone everywhere. Where would you and everybody.

[Desi Lydic]

My guest tonight is an amazing writer at the Atlantic who helped produce a special commemorative issue of the magazine called A Look at the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Please welcome Van Newkirk. Welcome to the show.

[Dulce Sloan]

Thanks for having me, man.

[Desi Lydic]

I've been a fan of your writing for so long. You touch on so many different topics, you know, from Black Panther through to racism in America, The Second Amendment. One of the more interesting conversations that I, I, I got started because of your writing was specifically about teachers being armed. And you argued that in, in its very essence, it goes against the Second Amendment. Wha, why would you make that argument?

[Dulce Sloan]

Yeah, so the Second Amendment is supposed to be this thing that protects people from the government, Right. The whole entire ethos of it is you get people, you give them guns, and you give them guns so they can build a militia to protect themselves against tyranny.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Dulce Sloan]

And so you have teachers who are state agents, right. Paid by the state, who are taking care of our kids, who have sometimes done bad things to those kids, and you're giving them guns. So especially in Florida, you have a guy who was known to use the N word with his students and was suspended for doing it. You give that guy a gun, right? What?

[Desi Lydic]

That's the tyrannical government. Yeah, I, I never thought of that as an idea. I go like. But, you know, it's, it's one of those ideas where people go like, this seems like a good idea because everything leads to more guns. You go, like, just give the people more guns, and then it solves the guns. Because if everyone has a gun, then I guess it means no one has a gun. I don't know how it works.

[Dulce Sloan]

I give my gun a gun.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah, you give your gun a gun. That's the most important. Cause guns don't kill people.

[Dulce Sloan]

Right?

[Desi Lydic]

People kill people.

[Dulce Sloan]

What about killing guns?

[Desi Lydic]

I, I don't think a Gun has ever. A gun has killed a gun. I saw that in a movie once. The gun shot the gun and the gun. Yeah, no one talks about gun on gun Viol. You. You. You. You have an interesting way of looking at the world. And this issue of the Atlantic, I think, looks at Martin Luther King from so many different places and through so many different lenses, which I really found interesting. Martin Luther King is one of those figures in America that I've always felt is mythologized and oftentimes misunderstood. And it feels like you've captured that in this article. Why did you think it was necessary to have an entire article about Martin Luther King Jr.

[Dulce Sloan]

So what we want to do is challenge people. You know, we want people to read every single article in this issue and come away thinking about something new, right? Something they had never thought about, something they never even fathomed about Dr. King. And what that does as a whole is so many times politicians bring up. Or people who will have an agenda bring up Dr. King. They quote the dream speech. They do the same thing, okay? He want us to live in a colorblind society where our kids can go to school together. They quote this one part, but they don't quote the part about him being against the Vietnam War. They don't say his speech, his letter from Birmingham jail where he talks about the white moderate. And nobody asks themselves, am I the white moderate?

[Desi Lydic]

Right.

[Dulce Sloan]

So nobody. Everybody now is pro King and not racist. But nobody's reading King now for how to be anti racist.

[Desi Lydic]

It's interesting that you say that because there was a specific article or piece of it that. That connected with me written by you in this. And it was specifically about the idea of Martin Luther King and his assassination. And you say here in the official story told to children, King's assassination is the transformational tragedy in a victorious struggle to overcome. But in the true accounting, his assassination was one of a host of reactionary assaults by a country against the revolution. And those assaults were astonishingly successful. Yeah, that's an interesting point of view. Cause many people feel like Martin Luther King being assassinated was the beginning of the great journey that got black people to where they needed to be. And you're arguing that it ended a revolution that was starting.

[Trevor Noah]

How.

[Desi Lydic]

How do you prove that? Or why do you believe that?

[Dulce Sloan]

So I remember when I was in school and I had a teacher who told me straight up that the Civil Rights movement was victorious, that we won, that we. We won. And what I could never reconcile was, how did we win if Dr. King assassinated while Protesting. How did we win the civil rights movement? How are we victorious if while protesting for higher wages for sanitation workers in Memphis, he was assassinated and his poor people's movement was derailed? So I always want to revisit that point. So when I wrote that essay, I was listening to Nina Simone's song, why the King of Love Is Dead. She wrote it three days after he was assassinated, and she's talking about, will the country stand or fall? She's talking about a country that seemed then on the verge of an apocalypse.

[Desi Lydic]

Right.

[Dulce Sloan]

And so I really wanted to go back to that moment and see how we get from that moment where you're talking about the end of the world, the black community in shambles and tears and unrest and riots, and how you go from there to here in 50 years and say, we won. How does that happen?

[Desi Lydic]

People would say, but, Van, look at how much progress black people have made since Martin Luther King. Surely things have gotten better. Black people on the up in America.

[Dulce Sloan]

Well, some studies are showing that that may not be the case. So we've got some studies out from the Economic Policy Institute that are saying that black wealth, black homeownership rates, segregation in schools haven't gone anywhere. In 50 years.

[Desi Lydic]

In 50 years.

[Dulce Sloan]

In 50 Years. So what are we talking about here? We're saying that the gap between blacks and whites now, in terms of wealth is just so staggering that it's. How do you even build policy to bridge that gap? Education has risen, but our kids are now in schools that are as segregated as they were in 1970. So what are we talking about?

[Desi Lydic]

That's an interesting point of view. And I guess I know a lot of people argue back on that, and they'll say, well, I mean, Obama became president fan. So, I mean, that's progress, isn't it?

[Dulce Sloan]

Yeah. Obama was president eight years, and now, will we ever have another black president?

[Desi Lydic]

Will you ever have another president? Is the question I ask here. Here's something that I. That I really connected with, and I guess because of South Africa's history, and also because it is International Women's Day, is this beautiful quote in the article. Women have been the backbone of the whole civil rights movement. This popular narrative of the civil rights movement too often relies on great men, the great men version of history. King Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Stokely Carmichael, other names, you know. And it ignores the importance of women who also organized and led the movement, and shows how their contributions have been sidelined, hidden in plain sight. That is a powerful narrative that many people forget and that is, Coretta Scott King wasn't just. She wasn't just the woman at home. Why do you think it's so important to acknowledge these women and what were they instrumental in doing in many movements?

[Dulce Sloan]

Yeah. I learned a lot reading that essay from Gene Theo Harris. She was talking about Coretta, Coretta Scott King, and how Martin's development politically came from conversation with Coretta. So a lot of what he was doing was sort of mansplaining Coretta. Right. He was going out and saying, okay, she was against the Vietnam War years before he was.

[Desi Lydic]

Wow.

[Dulce Sloan]

She. When they were courting each other and when they were still dating, she was the one who was sort of giving him these economic ideas, passing him along texts about what to read and how to learn and grow. So you look at. If you look at Coretta, Coretta Scott King, not just as King's. Help me, as someone who was an activist in her own right. Right. You start looking at just all these other women in the movement who did so much. Rosa Parks, who was an operative. We're taught in school that she was a tired old lady who sat down. She was out there. She built the same organizing structures that actually King relied on when he was doing the boycotts.

[Desi Lydic]

Wow.

[Dulce Sloan]

Those were built by black Women against sexual assault.

[Desi Lydic]

That's powerful.

[Dulce Sloan]

The same things. Yeah.

[Desi Lydic]

And so when you. When you look at these stories, how do you think it plays out? Because Martin Luther King exists in a place where some people use him to stage a protest and others go, we should use him to sell trucks in America. Um, everyone sees him in a different light. If Martin Luther King were around today, from what you have read and what you've learned, like, how happy do you think he would be? Would he think people have reached a mountaintop?

[Dulce Sloan]

I think from reading him, his thing was never being satisfied with where we are because there's always space. The mountaintop in that speech wasn't the place where we need to be in terms of race. The mountaintop was having the vision to see where we needed to go. And I think that vision was that the road is ever everlasting.

[Desi Lydic]

Right.

[Dulce Sloan]

The moral arc of the universe is always bending towards justice, and we bend it. So I think King, he would be protesting regardless of whatever situation is on the ground right now in America, he would be protesting him, because that's what he does. That's what an activist does. They were always agitating. And so that's what I want people to take away from the magazine, is that his activism was always agitating. It was always moving forward and progressing. And you see, in the last year of his life, before he was assassinated, he sat down and thought, how do I move this forward? And he came forward with the most ambitious program to fight poverty, to fight militarism, and to fight racism across globe. And that was King.

[Desi Lydic]

That was King. It's an amazing article. Thank you so much for being here. It's an amazing issue of the Atlantic, King. Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus.

[Trevor Noah]

Paramount Podcasts.