32nd Annual Student Research Conference
Martin Luther King Jr: An Examination of the Accuracy of Portrayal of MLK’s Political Beliefs in Modern Media
Cameron Banks
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Martin Luther King Jr is a prolific figure in the civil rights movement and arguably one of the most well known and idolized figures in American history. In our “post racial” society his ideas of racial equality and unity are considered standard across the political spectrum. However, in reality MLK’s activism though always aimed towards the ultimate goal of racial equality, focused on more than just the end of segregation. In fact the integration of black and white communities was only the first step in a grander plan, the second step being a movement by a coalition of poor working class blacks and whites to challenge powerful wealthy elites. The goal of this project is to firstly establish MLK’s beliefs regarding capitalism and United States, economic policies through his many speeches, and to then perform a rigorous and thorough review of literature, news articles, and other forms of media, and determine if they accurately represent Dr.Kings social and economic policies.
Keywords: MLK, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Social Democracy, Economics, Capitalism, Civil Rights, Income Inequality
Topic(s):African-American Studies
Political Science
Economics
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 306-3
Location: BH 251
Time: 2:00