Shortly before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. spent time at the home of performer and activist Harry Belafonte, who was a close friend of the civil rights leader. The two men conversed about the civil rights movement as they had on many occasions in the past. But in this particular conversation, King reflected on the struggle for justice and equality, and wondered whether his efforts were ultimately beneficial for black Americans.

Belafonte recounted that “[m]idway through the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. realized that the struggle for integration would ultimately become a struggle for economic rights.”

The actor recalled King’s words:

“I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house. I’m afraid that America has lost the moral vision she may have had, and I’m afraid that even as we integrate, we are walking into a place that does not understand that this nation needs to be deeply concerned with the plight of the poor and disenfranchised. Until we commit ourselves to ensuring that the underclass is given justice and opportunity, we will continue to perpetuate the anger and violence that tears the soul of this nation. I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.”

The statement surprised Belafonte, who said it “was the last thing I would have expected to hear, considering the nature of our struggle.” When the actor asked King what they should do, he answered: “Become the firemen. Let us not stand by and let the house burn.”

It has been 53 years since an assassin’s bullet struck down the civil rights leader, and it is worth asking an important question: Was King right about America being a “burning house”? It appears he was not wrong in being concerned about the state of the nation and its effect on the black Americans he was integrating into the larger society. How has the nation progressed in providing “justice and opportunity” for the underclass? What about “anger and violence” tearing at the “soul of this nation”?

The data shows that America has made considerable progress since the times when King was alive. In 2016, a report from the Department of Health and Human Services showed that poverty had declined significantly since the 1960s. Of course, there are still far too many people living in squalor, and the U.S. still has much work to do. But there can be no doubt that progress has been made.

However, the country’s advances do not seem to have done much to quell America’s anger problem. In 2022, it seems the nation is more divided than it has been in recent memory, and much of the vitriol is related to racial tension. The topic of race has become an immensely polarizing issue as high-profile leaders, politicians, influencers, and media figures have taken to politicizing racial issues.

The left has been capitalizing on race for decades, using it to discredit their political opposition while also positioning the Democratic Party as the entity that truly cares for minorities in America. Indeed, decades after the success of the Civil Rights movement, Democrats are exploiting King’s struggle, implying that black Americans today are facing the same challenges as in the 1960s.

(Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)

This tendency is all-too-apparent in the left’s focus on voting rights. Folks like President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress have become rather fond of bandying about the term “Jim Crow 2.0” when describing election integrity laws passed in red states. They claim, without evidence, that these measures will suppress black votes.

Elections are one of a slew of issues the left racializes. Over these past years, Democrats seized on the murder of George Floyd, as well as others, to push a racial narrative regarding the police. They used the justified outrage over the killing to advance the “Defund the Police” campaign, which contributed to skyrocketing crime rates. The irony of the situation is that this endeavor disproportionately harmed the black Americans progressives claim to be protecting.

The list of examples showing how the left cynically weaponizes race would require a piece of work longer than The Count of Monte Cristo. But this does not mean the right has been innocent in this regard either. While progressives make their political living by magnifying and exaggerating racism in a way that only contributes to the problem, many conservatives, over time, have gone to the other extreme, downplaying the historical and current impact of racism to the point that one might conclude they don’t believe this type of bigotry exists.

By retreating from conversations about race, conservatives have relinquished the topic to the hard left, which appears to have no good faith motives when discussing these matters. So what of King’s “burning house”? Unfortunately, in 2022, there do not seem to be many people who are willing to be the firemen King described. Instead, the nation is plagued by societal arsonists who want nothing more than to pour more gasoline on the burning house. Some do it for money and clicks. Others do it for fame. There are also those who have a “burn it all down” mentality fueling their actions.

America has been getting closer to recognizing the fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream. However, as was the case in the 1960s, there are those whose actions impede progress rather than help the process along. The hard left does not seem willing to push for genuine solutions to the race issue. But conservatives and even moderate liberals, if they are willing to participate honestly in the conversation, might be the ones who don the firefighter uniforms and carry the hose to quench the flames. Otherwise, King’s prediction might just come true.

~ Read more from Jeff Charles.