Renowned Preacher to Speak on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Pursuit of Social Change

In celebration of Black History Month, Samuel Merritt University (SMU) will host “Will the Real Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please Stand Up?” — a talk about the ministry, theology and ethical stance of the slain civil rights leader.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at SMU’s Health Education Center, 400 Hawthorne Ave. in Oakland. It is free and open to the public.

The featured speaker will be the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., pastor emeritus of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland and professor emeritus at American Baptist Seminary of the West. He is the author of many books including his most recent, “Sounding The Trumpet: How Churches Can Answer God's Call to Justice.”

“Rev. Smith is a really dynamic speaker with a huge passion for social justice and social activism,” said SMU’s Associate Director of Diversity Ché Abram.

In his speeches and writings, the Rev. Smith often explores the different sides of Dr. King’s work for social change. During a 2010 sermon at the annual Pastor and Laity Conference at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Church, Smith noted that Dr. King expressed deep disappointment over the laxity of the church in being a prophetic voice in an unjust society in “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

In a book review, Smith wrote about King’s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech in 1968, his final public address on worker justice in Memphis, Tennessee. King spoke in support of 2,000 trash collectors who were making only $1.65 an hour without medical or retirement benefits.

“He did not employ philosophical propositions to convey reasons for the just treatment of garbage workers,” Smith wrote.  “Dr. King used the narrative form to awaken sleeping consciences and to sensitize calloused hearts.”

Abram said that while King is best remembered for his impassioned plea for racial harmony in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, his advocacy on behalf of the poor is often overlooked. His controversial “Beyond Vietnam” speech, delivered in 1967 exactly a year before his death, assailed the U.S. government for spending money for a war abroad that would be better used to fight poverty at home.

The Rev. Smith, a longtime champion of the poor, served as the senior pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church for 40 years. SMU regularly conducts health clinics and learning forums for the church congregation.

Abram said she hopes Smith’s speech will inspire SMU students, many of whom were driven by their passion for social justice to pursue careers in healthcare but now have little time to pursue activism due to their busy class schedules.

“The talk will offer a deeper lens into how we can actively reduce healthcare disparities in communities of color,” said Abram.