Press Release from the National Center for Public Policy Research:

Washington, DC – Black activists with a conservative political perspective are now available for media interviews to discuss the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s thoughts and actions. With the national holiday approaching marking the late civil rights icon’s birthday, members of the Project 21 black leadership network can discuss Dr. King’s legacy and how they feel others have honored and dishonored that legacy.

“The holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King should cause us all to pause and reflect on his historic importance. One of Dr. King’s most important contributions was that he exhorted Americans to resist the gravitational pull of racial identity and famously challenged us all to value the content of character above skin color,” said Joe R. Hicks, a Project 21 member and former executive director of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “Some contemporary ‘race leaders’ seek to limit Dr. King’s legacy by ghettoizing his impact and identifying him as a black leader. But he was far more than that. He was a great American leader. The value of his wise counsel has outgrown racial limits. Dr. King’s historical contributions stand in stark contrast to the racial divisiveness of today’s self-proclaimed black leaders. In a nation that has passed them by, they now stand as redundancies — living in the shadows of great men such as Dr. King while huffing the fumes from a bygone era.”

“I find myself constantly wondering what Dr. King would think of the current state and condition of America. Clearly, great strides were made in race relations and providing educational and employment opportunities for all. Watching the current devolution of civility, however, I wonder if Dr. King’s dream has become a nightmare,” said Bishop Council Nedd II, the rector of St. Alban’s Anglican Church in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania and the author of the new book Does America Hate God? Faith Under Fire “Racial tensions are certainly higher now than they have ever been in my lifetime. Economic indicators also suggest black Americans are suffering under Barack Obama’s reign, with black unemployment still high despite overall unemployment falling and black home ownership in decline. President Obama has championed special rights for Hispanics crossing our southern border and gays seeking to marry, rather than truly protecting civil rights and ensuring our borders are secure. And I’m certain Dr. King would not have envisioned a world where the black community would be renouncing, undermining and ignoring the major theological foundations that helped them survive slavery, Jim Crow and segregation.”

“As our nation remembers the birthday of one of America’s favorite sons, let us also remember the faith that compelled Dr. King to action. It was his faith that gave him the boldness and freedom to stand for justice and demand equality,” said Project 21 member Demetrius Minor, a youth minister and the author of the upcoming book Preservation and Purpose: The Making of a Young Millennial. “It is also impossible to commemorate the life of Dr. King without having adoration for the Creator who enabled him to live such a fulfilling life.”

Project 21 member Derryck Green , who is currently working on a doctorate in ministerial studies, added: “Year after year, as we lovingly commemorate Reverend King, it seems that character matters less and color matters more the further we move away from his death. Many of the so-called and self-appointed leaders of the racial grievance industry are guilty of bastardizing his mission. They use his legacy as an instrument to contribute to racial hostility under the false guise of racial justice. Black Americans should acknowledge the extraordinary racial progress we’ve made in such a short time. We should also courageously condemn people — regardless of color, but especially those in our own communities — who seek to disparage and overlook that progress in favor of racial solidarity. Our credibility and Reverend King’s legacy are at risk if we don’t. We would do well to remember Reverend King’s own words: ‘[I]f first-class citizenship is to become a reality for [the black man], he must assume the primary responsibility for making it so. [Blacks] must not be victimized with the delusion of thinking that others should be more concerned than himself about his citizenship rights.’”

“I believe Dr. King’s legacy today would reflect the principle that freedom cannot exist without morality. The folly of immoral and free men and women makes about as much sense as dry water! Without sufficient character and moral fortitude, we cannot govern ourselves,” said Reverend Steven Craft, M.Div., a Project 21 member and prison minister. “When morality declines, the abuse of our rights increases and people believe more government is necessary in order to control the population. Dr. King’s legacy teaches us that if we abandon our righteous character and embrace the law of the jungle, we forfeit our freedom.”

Project 21 members were interviewed or cited by the media over 2,000 times in 2014, including on TVOne, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fox News Channel, One America News Network, MSNBC, the Orlando Sentinel, Westwood One, St. Louis Post-Dispatch , SiriusXM satellite radio and 50,000-watt talk radio stations such as WHO-Des Moines, KOA-Denver, WGN-Chicago, WBZ-Boston and KDKA-Pittsburgh on topics including civil rights, entitlement programs, the economy, voter ID, race preferences, education, illegal immigration and corporate social responsibility. Project 21 is currently participating in three cases under review by the U.S. Supreme Court and has provided substantial commentary regarding the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner judicial proceedings and their aftermaths. Project 21 defended voter ID laws at the United Nations. Its volunteer members come from all walks of life and are not salaried political professionals.

Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives for over two decades, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research (http://www.nationalcenter.org).

Contributions to the National Center are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.