Each year, as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we often focus on him as a singular leader, a towering figure in the civil rights Movement. Yet this perspective risks overshadowing the reality that no movement is built on one person alone. King himself understood that his influence was made possible by the interconnected web of people and organizations that formed the foundation of the movement. His leadership thrived because of the collective strength of communities who labored, often without recognition, to bring about systemic change.
Jewish tradition emphasizes the importance of communal responsibility. The story of Exodus, often linked to liberation struggles, teaches us that Moses did not act alone. His leadership was supported by others: his brother Aaron, his sister Miriam, the midwives Shifra and Puah, and the entire Israelite community, whose collective courage made their liberation possible. The concept of arevut (“mutual responsibility”) underscores that we are all accountable for one another’s freedom and well-being. Just as the civil rights Movement thrived through communal action, Jewish history reminds us that liberation is always a shared endeavor.
Movements are rarely monolithic. The civil rights Movement encompassed diverse voices, strategies and even disagreements about how to achieve liberation. Women like Rosa Parks, Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer played pivotal roles in organizing boycotts and voter registration drives. Bayard Rustin, a gay man and the principal organizers of the March on Washington in 1963, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to strategize and mobilize resources. Their contributions, alongside countless others, remind us that no single vision or approach can achieve liberation.
The civil rights Movement did not begin with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, which helped to put King on the national stage. It emerged from grassroots activism: enslaved people resisting bondage, families demanding education for their children and laborers organizing for economic justice. Long before King became a national figure, communities across the country were laying the groundwork for change. Black churches, civic organizations and grassroots networks built the infrastructure that sustained the movement, creating spaces where people could organize, strategize and build resilience.
King’s leadership brought national attention to the struggles of Black Americans, but his work was supported by countless individuals whose efforts exemplify the truth that leadership is most effective when it empowers others. Even King’s most famous achievements relied on the labor and sacrifice of communities willing to stand together in the face of oppression.
Civil rights legend Joanne Bland, who marched on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala., in 1965 and witnessed people being beaten by the police, once told me that when King came to town, he brought the three “M’s”: “Money, Media and Motivation.” This amplified the work of networks already in place, like Black churches that served as organizing centers and local activists who laid the groundwork for voter registration campaigns. These collective actions transformed isolated efforts into sustained movements.
Bland’s insight underscores how individual contributions within a larger network can amplify a movement’s impact. This idea resonates deeply across cultures and histories, including within Jewish tradition. When the Israelites built the mishkan, everyone contributed what they could, symbolizing the importance of shared responsibility. Similarly, the success of the civil rights Movement relied on the contributions of many, from financial resources to grassroots organizing. This reminds us that every role, no matter how small, is vital in the pursuit of justice.
As we honor King’s legacy, let us also remember that part of that legacy is a movement that continues today. We must keep working together to make his dream a reality and celebrate the communities that laid the groundwork, the diverse voices that enriched the struggle and the systems that sustained the fight for justice.
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reflect on your role in building a more equitable society. As King said, “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve.” How can you support the infrastructure of justice in your own community? How can you honor the voices of those who came before while amplifying the voices of today? Movements are sustained not by individual heroes but by the collective efforts of many. Together, we can carry the legacy of justice forward.
One Final Reflection
As Ecclesiastes teaches: “Two are better than one, for they have greater benefit from their earnings. For should they fall, one can raise the other; but woe to someone who is alone and falls with no companion to assist!” (4:9-10). This wisdom reminds us that movements are built on collective strength. By standing together, honoring the diversity within our communities, and continuing the work of justice, we embody the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the enduring call of Jewish values to pursue a better world.
