Abstract
This essay is a critical reflection on issues of gender within the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership, exploring the implications for contemporary social activist church leaders. It focuses on notions of maleness found in scholarly interpretive narratives about King and descriptions in biographies of King and of other civil rights movement leaders. The significance of his maleness when assessing King's leadership is discussed in relation to Christ metaphors and sexual conduct. Also, the essay briefly considers how the sexist treatment of women leaders by King and others informs the legacy bequeathed to current social justice organizers.
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