By Douglas J. Lanzo
Copyright 2026

“And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. in his last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church

Published in WestWard Quarterly (Spring 2026 Issue)

A reverend and a leader
with a message and a cause:
lifelong peaceful resistance
to injustice and racist laws;

Imprisoned, beaten, stabbed and defamed
bombed and threatened, scorned and smeared,
tracked and surveilled for his friendships
and his movement, broad and feared;

Through it all he stood for freedom,
opposing bigotry and hate,
standing firm against paths violent
with Christ’s love and moral weight;

He embodied Jesus’ teaching
that the truth will set us free
leading proudly — our drum major —
marching us to victory…
to a Promised Land he foresaw
but that he never got to see —
cut down by the same hatred
he overcame with dignity.