--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Martin Luther King was a radical…" description: "\"Martin Luther King was a radical democrat, by which I mean someone who is a foe of wealth inequality.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/cornel-west-708_democrat_martin-luther-king-was-a-radical-democra_1771896.jpg" --- # Martin Luther King was a radical democrat, by which I mean… ![“Martin Luther King was a radical democrat, by which I mean someone who is a foe of wealth inequality.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/cornel-west-708_democrat_martin-luther-king-was-a-radical-democra_1771896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/cornel-west-708_democrat_martin-luther-king-was-a-radical-democra_1771896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/cornel-west-708_democrat_martin-luther-king-was-a-radical-democra_1771896.jpg) > “Martin Luther King was a radical democrat, by which I mean someone who is a foe of wealth inequality.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Radical democracy opposes wealth disparity and seeks equitable power. **In simple terms:** Radical democracy fights inequality. Key Takeaway Advocate for economic justice. Themes politics justice economics Mood critical inspirational Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - policy reform - activism - community organizing Key Concepts social theory political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What defines true democracy? - How can wealth inequality be reduced? A Different Perspective Change faces entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Foe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foe/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Wealth inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth-inequality/) ## Related quotes > [ We \[he and his wife Trish Van Devere\] don't talk politics. I'm an independent conservative; she's a radical Democrat. We never vote together. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-scott/we-he-and-his-wife-trish-van-devere-don-t-talk-politics-i-m-an/) [George C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-scott/) > [Every second, every hour, and every day we can stop radical Democrat policies, Republicans should do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/every-second-every-hour-and-every-day-we-can-stop-radical-democrat/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [Wealth inequality has increased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/wealth-inequality-has-increased/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It's clear that he was incredibly courageous in his critique of white supremacy, wealth inequality, and imperial power as it relates to war in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/it-s-clear-that-he-was-incredibly-courageous-in-his-critique-of-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Once you begin to talk about wealth inequality, especially as it relates to corporations and big banks, or engage in an indictment of U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/once-you-begin-to-talk-about-wealth-inequality-especially-as-it/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Martin Luther King Jr. was not just a man of peace. He was a radical pacifist, and so he was against war across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/martin-luther-king-jr-was-not-just-a-man-of-peace-he-was-a-radical/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The American Dream is individualistic. Martin Luther King's dream was collective. The American Dream says, "I can engage in upward mobility and live the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-american-dream-is-individualistic-martin-luther-king-s-dream-was/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We live in a world where people are fearful of extremism, but Martin Luther King would say he was always trying to keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/we-live-in-a-world-where-people-are-fearful-of-extremism-but-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [One of the things I love most about Martin Luther King is that he was willing to sacrifice his popularity in favor of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/one-of-the-things-i-love-most-about-martin-luther-king-is-that-he-was/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ I wished the president \[Barack Obama\] were more "Martin Luther King-like." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-wished-the-president-barack-obama-were-more-martin-luther-king-like/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Martin Luther King was not a Marxist or a communist, but his radical love leads him to put poor and working people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/martin-luther-king-was-not-a-marxist-or-a-communist-but-his-radical/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration and saw an intimate connection with Wall Street, he'd be very critical. If he saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obama-administration-and-saw-an/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. 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