The CP Edit:
Honoring the life and legacy of
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Remembering MLK 

Honoring the life and legacy of civil rights icon the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continues to evolve from the early fight for national recognition, led by the late U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, to the establishment of the Dr. King Holiday Commission of Greater Lansing (now the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan). Conyers’ undertaking began days after King’s assassination in 1968 and lasted 18 years as he battled conservative lawmakers for commemoration at the federal level. It wouldn’t be until 2000 that every state would establish recognition of the holiday, and still today several southern states tie the day to celebrations of Confederate generals.  

Locally, for the first time ever, Michigan State University will close in observance of the holiday, though the school has annually hosted celebratory programming, including marches, jazz concerts and speakers, continuing to do so this year in the days leading up to and after Jan. 16. 

Likewise, the MLK Commission of Mid-Michigan will host its first in-person Day of Celebration at the Lansing Center since the pandemic. It is the longest running in the country, entering its 42nd year. Politicians and leaders of the movement will spend the day offering reflections on MLK’s legacy, singers will praise his name, scholarships will be handed out and a general good time will be had.  

Yet, MLK’s tenure as a champion for racial and human justice was far more about action: boycotts and marches in the face of police brutality, unfair employment practices, housing discrimination and poverty. Several organizations support a Day of Service in MLK’s honor, and the state’s Community Service Commission awards grants from $100 to $1,000 to support volunteer projects that address needs across the state. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more energy and effort were devoted to doing the work MLK dreamed of? 

Accountability for racial equity 

A critical part of realizing Dr. King’s dream is holding public institutions accountable for their progress — or lack thereof — toward racial equity. Case in point: the Lansing Fire Department and its ongoing struggles with race-based harassment and discrimination. Need proof? Look no further than the case of former Lansing firefighter Michael Lynn, who last fall won a $1 million damage award against the department when his claims of racial discrimination were validated by a unanimous U.S. District Court jury. 

Rooting out racism in the department has been a challenge, but accountability and change may be coming sooner rather than later in the form of Chief Brian Sturdivant, who led the Battle Creek Fire Department before being appointed by Mayor Andy Schor last April as Lansing’s sixth fire chief, including interims, in just four years. 

That Sturdivant is a person of color and an outsider to LFD’s toxic culture means he can take a fresh look at the organization. His deep experience and savvy will help him figure out how to inculcate the respect for diversity, equity and inclusion we now expect from every employer, public or private. 

But there’s more to this man than meets the eye. Twenty of his 37-plus years in the fire service were in Fulton County, Georgia, where Sturdivant faced overt racism from his white colleagues. When he was hired by Schor, he recounted his experience: “I was marginalized. I was minimized. I vowed to myself that I would never allow something like that to happen under my watch. It hurts. It’s demoralizing.”  

Sturdivant’s personal journey as a Black firefighter informs his leadership and gives us hope for meaningful, lasting change. With a new chief at the wheel, the arc of the Lansing Fire Department should bend toward a more inclusive culture that honors King’s legacy. 

A step back in the Prosecutor’s Office 

As Martin Luther King Day approaches, we are disappointed to note that one of the first acts of Ingham County’s newly appointed prosecutor, John Dewane, was to reverse a racial justice reform instituted by his predecessor, Carol Siemon. Dewane’s action should raise concern that he does not recognize the justice system’s inherent racial bias against African Americans. 

Just eight days into office, Dewane set aside Siemon’s policy of not automatically invoking Michigan’s firearm felony law, which adds a minimum two-year sentence when a firearm is involved in a crime. She rightly denounced the law as “overtly racist”: In 2018, African Americans made up four-fifths of those serving felony firearm sentences in Ingham County, where the Black population is 12%. The ire of the law-and-order establishment, led by Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth, came crashing down on Siemon, but she held her ground. 

Dewane made it clear from the start that he is taking a different approach overall to incarceration. Siemon chose to consider a multitude of factors before applying the repeat offender law, Dewane will use habitual offender charges to increase prison time, allowing that they may be dismissed after consideration.  

It appears that even though voters twice chose Siemon by large margins, the panel of Circuit judges who picked Dewane— no doubt led by Rosemarie Aquilina, who openly denounced Siemon from the bench — sought to end progressive efforts in the Prosecutor’s Office. 

There doesn’t appear to be convincing evidence that being tough on crime reduces crimes, yet it feels like it should. We don’t doubt that Dewane, a career public servant in the Prosecutor’s Office, sincerely believes his course is best. But there is more to creating a safe community than being “tough” on crime. Going back to a system that never worked doesn’t seem to be a good direction.