Ohio cops unveil cruiser to celebrate Black History Month — but use fake MLK quote
An Ohio police department began Black History Month by unveiling a cruiser that featured a quote attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King.
But the quote — “Be the peace you wish to see in the world” — was never said by the revered civil rights activist.
The idea behind the cruiser, called History 1, was to “celebrate the achievements of African Americans & recognize their roles in our history,” the Columbus Division of Police said Feb. 1.
The same cruiser has been used to celebrate or raise awareness for LGBTQ Pride month, Breast Cancer Awareness month, Veteran’s Day and more, police told WCMH.
This version of the cop car features stripes of black, red, green and yellow, colors that Parade said have their “own distinct meaning and significance” for Black History Month.
On the back windshield is the quote wrongly attributed to King Jr.
“The King Papers Project that I directed for more than three decades didn’t find evidence that MLKJ ever said this,” Clayborne Carson, the founding director of the King Institute, told Vice News.
“I am unable to confirm that King authored the specific quotation: ‘Be the peace you wish to see in the world,’” Meghan Weaver, research assistant for the institute, told WCMH.
The institute’s website features quotes linked to King Jr., but this particular quote is not listed.
So who said the quote?
Many believe that Indian revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi originally said something similar, though the quote usually includes “change” instead of “peace.” But as Medium noted, the first sources of it being used came in 1974 — 26 years after Gandhi died.
That came from a book written by educator Arleen Lorrance, who said “One way to start a preventative program is to be the change you want to see happen. That is the essence and substance of the simple and successful endeavor known as The Love Project,” according to Medium.
The New York Times reported in 2011 that the closest verified remark from Gandhi was when he said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.”
It’s unknown how the quote began being attributed to King Jr., but the Columbus Division of Police are far from the first to believe the civil rights icon said it.
Columbus police have not commented on the misattribution of the quote, but a police spokesperson told WCMH that “the feedback (of the cruiser) locally has been more positive.”
This is despite some internet backlash, including from the author of an MSNBC opinion column. The author called the cruiser “tone-deaf” and a “crude attempt at improving the image of police.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Ohio cops unveil cruiser to celebrate Black History Month — but use fake MLK quote."