King Recalled as Example to All

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., celebrated today as America’s preeminent black civil-rights leader, is increasingly seen as a symbol of equality for Latinos and Asians as well, scholars say.

“Dr. King’s message transcends race, and that’s why he’s a symbol for the future of California and our multiracial society,” said Leo Chavez, a UC Irvine professor of anthropology.

“His message is hope and unity. The past 20 years have given us a solid basis for hope, and the considerable gains of African Americans in that time should offer encouragement to Latinos and Asians,” said Lawrence de Graaf, a history professor at Cal State Fullerton who studies African American history in Southern California.

Despite voter approval of Proposition 209, the 1996 anti-affirmative action measure, “There is still access to higher education, which plays a key role in Dr. King’s vision for America,” de Graaf said.

De Graaf and Chavez say King’s message of multiracial unity and tolerance is more important now than ever as California struggles with issues such as affirmative action and immigration on the eve of the new millennium.

“The lesson from Dr. King is that we’re all Americans. That’s his message; just because some of us are different, we shouldn’t be seen as a threat to America,” Chavez said. “His message to all of us is that people should learn to live together and learn from the mistakes of the past.”

Heeding history’s warnings is especially important as Latinos are poised to become the largest ethnic group in Southern California early in the next century. According to a recent Southern California Assn. of Governments study, Latinos will make up 40% of the population in the region’s six-county area by 2020; whites will be 39%; Asians, 12%; blacks, 9%.

“This change is part of Dr. King’s message,” Chavez said. “Instead of seeing the Latino emergence as a threat, people should reach beyond their narrow borders to help build a better society.”

During his 40 years at Cal State Fullerton, de Graaf has done extensive research on the African American experience in Los Angeles and Orange counties. He said the emergence of Latinos and Asians as important political forces means that blacks have to realize that “theirs is no longer the only agenda that counts” among minorities in the state.

The problems of assimilation faced by Latinos and Asians today can be overcome, just as blacks overcame the past segregationist hurdles placed in front of them. They only need to look at blacks’ struggle for equality in Orange County for a success story, de Graaf said.

“Assimilation by blacks in Orange County is unparalleled in the United States. The county went from a place that was traditionally hostile to blacks to a place where blacks are now dispersed throughout the county, like in no other place,” de Graaf said.

For some African Americans, King’s dream is alive in Orange County, he added.

The increasingly multicultural appeal of the assassinated civil-rights leader was apparent at this year’s symposium at UCI honoring King, organizers said.

The four-day event last week, now in its 15th year, has become increasingly popular and multicultural, organizer Anna Gonzalez said. Students “of all shades” were turned away for lack of room at one evening function, she said.

That diversity also was evident at a noontime rally Thursday where students read King’s speeches, sang celebratory songs and remembered how his work had furthered all races.

“We’d still be farmers and workers instead of doctors and lawyers without Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Kevin Nadal, a 20-year-old Filipino student studying political science and psychology.

Gonzalez acknowledged the sensitivity, however, required for promoting the multicultural aspect of the holiday while not losing sight of King’s legacy to the black experience. “We acknowledge and appreciate [King’s] African Americanness. I don’t want people to think we’re erasing colors,” she said.

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Times staff writer Allison Cohen contributed to this story.