After state-sponsored violence, MLK Day reminds us to hope | Opinion
.jpg "Coretta Scott King at the funeral of her husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. This image captured by Moneta Sleet Jr. won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography.")
When people are battling for the soul of a nation, things can get violent.
Martin Luther King Jr. and his family knew this, and now, due to the horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good last week, younger generations do as well.
.jpg "Moneta Sleet, Jr. 001January 31, 2006 (1).jpg")
As we approach the Jan. 19 federal holiday honoring King, the battle seems as fierce ever. King’s momentous achievements are now publicly denigrated by our despot leader, a man who has unleashed a secret police force — masked, untrained and unaccountable to any laws of policing or common decency on our country.
We mourn Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who became a victim of this bloodlust. Her death was as predictable as it is tragic. As is our government’s order that we ignore the evidence of our own eyes.
Here, closer to home, one of our more small-minded Kentucky legislators has proposed legislation that would ban naturalized U.S. citizens from running for local or state office in Kentucky. I say small-minded because anyone with an inkling of our country’s history knows this idea is both unconstitutional and immoral, but, like our president’s remarks on the Civil Rights Movement, shows us implicitly where our leaders want to go.
Even closer, the University of Kentucky, one of the major sponsors of Lexington’s MLK Jr. Day events is apparently still on board, despite federal and state pressure that’s leading it to censor faculty, staff, students, and associated groups over whether they’ve ever used the words “woman,” or “inclusive” or “Black.”
Last year, UK pulled its funding support for the Pride Festival, citing new state laws. When asked why it could support MLK Day with financial support, spokesman Jay Blanton said it was a national holiday observed by UK.
“The programming and celebration were founded at UK and have long been promoted as open to every member of the community,” he said. “We are proud to continue our association with this important day that commemorates Dr. King’s mission to create a beloved community in which all belong.”
So, small steps, I guess. And yet for all this darkness, there is still the light of peaceful protest that we saw this past Sunday. Despite little notice and freezing temperatures, hundreds of people showed up in Lexington to memorialize Renee Good and protest the means of her death.
Kaye-Lani Cuttings carried a sign saying “Believe Your Eyes, Not Their Lies.”
“I think the majority of us are here trying to make sure no one thinks is normal,” Cuttings said. “We need accountability for the nation.”
‘Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that’
As King reminds us, we can’t devolve to the level of hate we currently see from our elected leaders. If your spirits need further lifting, I recommend the MLK Day events next Monday. As always, it starts with the Unity Breakfast, and is then followed by the downtown march at 1 p.m. and the program at 2 p.m. at the Central Bank Center.
The theme this year is “The Right to Live, The Right to Choose: Health, Ballots & The Beloved Community,” and according to a UK press release “invites the Lexington community to reflect on King’s vision through the lens of public health, voting rights and the ongoing pursuit of a just and compassionate society.”
The keynote speaker is Rev. Devon Jerome Crawford, senior pastor of Historic Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. A theologian and scholar, Crawford previously served as the inaugural national executive director of the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration, a national effort founded by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and based at Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
The program will also feature a photo exhibition titled “Witness to History: The Photography of Moneta Sleet, Jr.,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer from Owensboro who captured many iconic moments from the Civil Rights Movement, including Coretta Scott King at her husband’s funeral. Working mostly for Ebony Magazine, Sleet won the Pulitzer for that shot, becoming the first Black man to win the Pulitzer, and the first Black person to win the award for journalism.
The exhibit is made available to the celebration by the Owensboro-based group Through Sleet’s Eyes Festival. The Alpha Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is also a co-sponsor of the exhibit.
The exhibit will be at Central Bank Center during the 2026 MLK Holiday Commemorative Program and will be moved to the Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center for exhibition from Jan. 20-30.
For more information on the MLK Day events, go to https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/annual-mlk-day-celebration-set-jan-19.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
