12 Jan 2026 Black Conservatives Reflect on the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, ambassadors with the Project 21 black leadership network are reflecting on the civil rights icon and his legacy — and their musings are diverse and not necessarily what you’d expect.

 

Johanna Blanding-Koskinen, Project 21 Ambassador and M.Div. Candidate:

What my colleagues describe as cultural decline and policy failures in the black community are in reality the natural progression of a foundation that prioritizes social activism over biblical orthodoxy.

However, in keeping with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, and his vision of equality, justice and opportunity, it seems fitting to also recognize Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Jackson, who then served as president of the National Baptist Convention (NBC).

A staunch supporter of civil rights, Jackson called for demonstrations guided by “logic and law,” viewing the ballot box as the most important weapon in breaking down barriers, and maintaining that lasting change required building a firm biblical foundation, not just social pressure.

Jackson stood firmly against King’s intention to use the NBC as the “institutional basis for the Civil Rights Movement,” viewing it as both “anti-American” and a fundamental misunderstanding of the church’s purpose. This was a conflict “essentially religious in nature” regarding what constitutes church work, an issue the black church continues to wrestle with today.

The conflict grew so intense it split the largest black denomination in American history (representing six million black Baptists), with few questioning the theological foundation King was building upon.

Now for some truth…

Martin Luther King’s seminary papers at Crozer and Boston University reveal his systematic rejection of Christianity’s core doctrines—the virgin birth, Christ’s divinity and the bodily resurrection—yet his liberal professors celebrated this apostasy with top grades.

As we celebrate this holiday, we must ask ourselves: Can a movement built on theological compromise produce lasting moral and ethical fruit, or are the failures my colleagues rightly identify in the black community the inevitable consequence of honoring a leader whose vision, however compelling, subordinated biblical truth to social utility?

 

KJ McKenzie, Project 21 Ambassador:

While I was growing up as a little black girl in Baltimore City, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the most prominent black historical figure I was taught to revere, and he remains one of the most quoted leaders in the world.

His courageous fight against segregation, lynching and racism culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an achievement I respect, even as I believe the modern left now misuses it to justify government overreach into family life, religious liberty and even women’s sports.

The left insists government must force private parties to serve one another to prevent discrimination, often invoking Jim Crow, but that argument ignores history: Segregation was government-imposed, not market-driven, as black economist Walter Williams powerfully explained.

Today, I affirm equal rights for all, while rejecting the false claim that freedom and free markets require coercion to produce justice.

 

Kendall Qualls, Project 21 Ambassador:

Since MLK delivered his iconic speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, American black culture has declined into a fatherless, godless and lawless culture, thanks primarily to progressive leftist policies and their local leaders in black communities. As a result, we have seen decades of death and destruction throughout the black community and beyond its borders.

Progressive socialist/Marxist programs have resulted in generations of poverty, generations of fatherless homes and generations of welfare dependency for the masses, while local leaders have become rich and powerful on taxpayer dollars. Their kids attend private schools while others’ kids are indoctrinated and graduate semi-literate.

It’s time to return to traditional Christian principles and the foundations of capitalism.

 

Jennifer L. Wallace, Project 21 Ambassaor and Co-Founder of Freedoms Journal Institute:

While many celebrate the contributions of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement as symbols of justice, peace and/or “black” liberation, history reminds us that in our zeal to right the wrongs of the past, we must not become distracted regarding the true source of our liberation.

Jesus Christ, The Great Liberator, teaches that those who never cultivate a view of God, self and others that aligns with biblical “Truth” are consequently those who, in the end, will never “know the things that make for peace” [cf. Luke 19:41—44].

 

Bishop Garland Hunt, Project 21 Ambassador and President of The Douglass Leadership Institute:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s actions fundamentally shaped the civil rights era through his stance for nonviolent civil disobedience and his vast mobilization and powerful oratory skills, which he leveraged to expose injustices, to lead bus boycotts and marches and to achieve legislative victories in order to unify people for a common purpose. These include landmark pieces of legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ended segregation, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which outlawed discriminatory voting practices.

Today King’s legacy lives on and continues to inspire generations to judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin—with liberty and justice for all. While some modern movements have turned away from King’s advocacy for nonviolent resistance, his legacy remains a shining example for this world.

 

Dr. Linda Lee Tarver, Project 21 Ambassador and former Michigan Civil Rights Commissioner:

The fight for civil rights is ongoing and remains deeply relevant today. The Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., taught us that lasting change requires both just policies and transformed hearts.

Dr. King fought for equality under the law, and I continue to believe in equal rights—not extra rights—for any group, and in protecting the rights of all Americans. I am proud of Dr. King and the movement that helped shape a nation striving to live up to its founding principles.

 

Emery McClendon, Project 21 Ambassador:

The MLK/civil rights era was embellished with thoughts of equality-based accomplishments, not outcomes based on the color of one’s skin. The civil rights era promoted hard work and achievements based on the content of one’s character, not the color of one’s skin. It was based on a dream that Americans would come together and put aside strife and hatred toward one another.

MLK asked us to strive to be the best, but things changed. DEI interrupted the concepts of merit and hard work. Equity replaced the pursuit of happiness.

It’s not too late to reclaim the dream. We can still make it to the mountaintop.

 

Rev. David Lowery, Jr., Project 21 Ambassador:

Dr King died in vain. The black community has regressed. Black political leaders have become the oppressors of their own people.

Barack Obama deceived black people into voting for him, and once in office he legalized same-sex marriage and emasculated black men. Dr. King must be rolling over in his grave, recognizing that his death was in vain!

 

Michael Austin, Project 21 Ambassador:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged Americans to judge one another by character, responsibility and moral courage — principles that remain essential today.

The civil rights era reminds us that progress is sustained not by government decree alone, but by faith, family and personal accountability.

When I invited Dr. Alveda King to Kansas last year, she was a powerful reminder that her uncle’s vision lives through leaders who champion opportunity and human dignity in every community.