Now, I get it.

I watched snippets of Coretta Scott King’s funeral on the news the other evening. When it was their turn to speak, both President Jimmy Carter and Rev. Joseph Lowery took the opportunity to turn the solemn occasion into a political forum by criticizing President Bush’s policies on the war in Iraq, the handling of the Katrina catastrophe and the proposed budget cuts adversely affecting the poor. And, I’m sure to the chagrin of many, the comments were made in the President’s presence. My immediate reaction was surprise and discomfort. Their comments seemed inappropriate, even disrespectful; not because of what they said, but because of where and when they said it.

Upon reflection, I now get it. Martin Luther King Jr. often made white America very uncomfortable in his relentless pursuit of nonviolent social change. Mrs. King very admirably took up the torch following her husband’s death. Their remarkable achievements were not accomplished by avoiding conflict or by trying to make us feel comfortable. I suspect Mrs. King had a broad smile on her face as she witnessed from above the President’s public spanking. She would have approved.

President Carter and Reverend Lowery made me feel uncomfortable the other evening and I applaud them for it.