What is due

In his grave, we praise him for his decency -
    but when he walked amongst us, we responded with no decency of our own.

When he suggested that all men should have a place in the sun -
    we put a special sanctity on the right of ownership
        and the privilege of prejudice
            by maintaining that to deny homes to Negroes was a democratic right.

Now we acknowledge his compassion -
    but we exercised no compassion of our own.

When he asked us to understand that men take to the streets
    out of anguish and hopelessness and a vision of that dream dying,
        we bought guns and speculated about roving agitators
            and subversive conspiracies and demanded law and order.

We felt anger at the effects,
    but did little to acknowledge the causes.

We extol all the virtues of the man -
    but we chose not to call them virtues before his death.

And now, belatedly, we talk of this man's worth -
    but the judgement comes late in the day as part of a eulogy
        when it should have been made a matter of record while he existed as a living force.

If we are to lend credence to our mourning,
    there are acknowledgements that must be made now,
        albeit belatedly.

We must act on the altogether proper assumption
    that Martin Luther King asked for nothing but that which was his due...
        He asked only for equality,
            and it is that which we denied him.

                 Rod Serling, in a letter to The Los Angeles Times, 8 April 1968