Martin Luther King Jr.'s beliefs and methods were open to question from the very beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. So argues Taylor Branch, revered historian and author of the monumental trilogy "America in the King Years." In this review Brett draws out themes from Branch's trilogy which revolve around the tragic events of the Mississippi Freedom Summer campaign. Brett argues that if Branch's account is correct, today's moment requires Americans either to revive or reject as irrelevant MLK's views on nonviolent, democratic participation.

Resources mentioned in this podcat: -John Lewis' original and revised speech compared: https://billmoyers.com/content/two-ve...-"Mississippi Goddamn" by Nina Simone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-...-James Chaney (murdered civil rights activist) Eulogy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jKNH...Additional Resources: -Taylor Branch and Bob Moses talk about America after George Floyd's death: https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/07/...-Video about the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sp7s...