Pulitzer-Winning Biographer Jonathan Eig Delivers Address Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We gather to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Dr. Schaffer began, as he addressed the Roxbury Latin community at the annual MLK Commemoration Hall on January 14. “We pause to recognize the contributions of this remarkable man, and to consider anew principles of justice, equality, and brotherhood.” Dr. Schaffer continued, emphasizing how the words of Dr. King still ring true today. “Our vigilance, principles, and activism are consequential. We still have work to do to achieve the justice envisioned so many years ago by Dr. King,” he stated. “It is the responsibility of all of us to stand up for what is right.”

Prior to Dr. Schaffer’s welcome and introduction, Zach Heaton (I) read a passage from Micah, followed by Aiden Theodore (I) reading an excerpt from Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Dr. Schaffer then introduced the day’s featured speaker, biographer Jonathan Eig. Mr. Eig spoke with students, faculty, and staff about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a topic explored in his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography King: A Life.

“I begin my book with the following sentence: On December 5, 1955, a young Black man became one of America’s founding fathers,” Mr. Eig stated, as he opened his talk, referencing the significance of the day in history—the first day of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. “There was enormous risk involved. What kept people in Montgomery from equality, it wasn’t just the law,” he stated. “It was the fear of standing up, of challenging the Jim Crow society of the south. The fear of death.” As the city became more divided and segregated in the weeks following, a new leader was called upon. At just 26 years old, Dr. King, who was new to the town, was asked to lead the charge calling for desegregation and unifying the Black community. 

As Mr. Eig continued in his address, he explored the humanity of Dr. King—his mental health struggles, his family and friendships, his difficulties in life. “In the last 39 years, since we created this holiday, I felt like we had lost sight of him. In celebrating him and hallowing him, we have hollowed him,” Mr. Eig explained. “We have turned him into this two-dimensional figure, we’ve whitewashed him, we’ve stripped away his radicalism and his faith, and we’ve lost sight of the fact that he had fears and failures. We’ve turned him into a monument, a national holiday, and thousands of street signs and hundreds of public schools, and we’ve forgotten that he was a person.” Mr. Eig’s goal in writing the first biography of Dr. King in decades was to revisit him as a person, and to share his humanity, faith, successes, foibles, struggles, and victories with readers of today.   

After Hall, Mr. Eig spent time in history classes to participate in smaller class discussions and field questions directly from the boys. His influence and impact was felt throughout the day, with many faculty, staff, and students marveling at how engaging and important his speech was. His book, King: A Life, is a must-read.