“We Southernized Dr. King”: Historian Jeanne Theoharis on MLK’s Struggle Against Racism in the North

Historian Jeanne Theoharis joins us for an in-depth discussion about her new book, King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life of Struggle Outside the South. After more than a decade of research, she offers a major reexamination of his experiences and activism confronting police brutality, alongside his wife Coretta Scott King. In Part 2 of our interview, she describes his work in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City, including long meetings with gang leaders to reduce violence, like the Turfmasters Summit in Chicago to address what he called “domestic colonialism.” King often addressed how police and courts were used as “enforcers,” and stopped using the phrase “law and order,” instead calling for “law and justice.” Theoharis also critiques the role of the media in portraying King's organizing against police abuse and racism in the North as “reckless,” when they previously praised his work in the South.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.