Member-only story
Celebrated Black History Moments and Movements That Didn’t Stand the Test of Time
For Every Step Forward, There Were Steps Back
Maybe America really is somewhere on the arc of the moral universe that bends towards justice, as Martin Luther King, Jr once remarked.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
The arc is undoubtedly long. King paraphrased a quote from abolitionist minister Theodore Parker who said a bit more in an 1853 sermon:
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.” — Theodore Parker
President Barack Obama had the King version woven into a rug in the Oval Office. It was not without controversy, and the White House had to defend its presence. On his first day of office during his first term, Donald Trump ordered the rug removed, replacing it with one used by Ronald Reagan.
There have been many moments and movements in Black history that were once thought to be defining. Many accomplished far less than hoped; some were a…
