Surfing State of America Honors Martin Luther King Jr. With Touching Tribute in Recent Post

Monday marked the 95th birth anniversary of human rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. The country commemorated the life and legacy of the pioneering civil rights leader with unaccustomed zeal. In that trot, his iconic affiliations with the Aloha State came through in a surprising revelation.

Hawaii puts its own Bohemian zing to observe the special occasion. The annual Waikiki Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade inaugurated the festival in the surfing haven. In the meantime, a special token of veneration hearkened everyone back to the past and raised a poignant question: was surfing the unity Dr. King sought throughout his life?

Surfing’s role in Martin Luther King Jr.’s quest for unity

Mana Maoli, a Hawaiian musical collective and non-profit organization, framed a wonderful tribute for Dr. King on Instagram. The captions framed between surfing and Dr. King’s search for unity. It said, “Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. These fascinating quotes from when he visited Hawai’i , as shared by @adamkeawe, are inspiring reminders of the impact we here in Hawai’i, and all worldwide who embrace racial harmony, can have in serving as a model and source of hope”. The original post came from historian and blogger Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp. He scraped through layers of American history to unveil some hitherto unseen snaps of Dr. King. The carousel of photos titled “LEIS FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR” unfurled the unifying sentiments that drew the leader to Hawaii.

The cover photo of the album gave way to a slew of photos of Dr King wearing a garland of leis around his neck. As per Adam Keawe’s findings, these garlands were handcrafted by “mothers at Kawaiahaʻo Church that were sent to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for his march to Montgomery from Selma in 1965”. The leader had visited Hawaii and given a speech at the Kawaiahaʻo Church which had made an impact on the community. In another visit, he delivered a powerful state address, expressing hope for the Hawaiian islands to emerge as a pivotal force in his quest for racial harmony.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s hopeful state address at Lolani Palace

When the State legislature met at Lolani Palace and Dr. King was called upon to give his speech, the leader pronounced a hope for a better tomorrow. He said, “As I think of the struggle that we are engaged in in the South land, we look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country”.

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For him, Hawaii was the best model for the future and he proclaimed so to his congregation. Calling the surfing haven “the face of the future”, the leader emphasized the example of the island.

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