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"The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be… The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."

– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For Dr. King’s birthday I wanted to create a short video that combined graphics and words (specifically the use of a quote – a graphic recording knowledge wall standby) to commemorate the man on his national holiday. I chose that particular quote after considering many others (he may be the most quotable man from the 20th century) because I felt it spoke to his legacy as a radical thinker.  

Since his death it seemed to me that America has worked to co-opt his image into something palatable for the status quo. You see this in the many remembrances from politicians and organizations that tend to use innocuous quotes about “equality” and make statements citing how he “gave his life” for the idea of “justice.”

But Dr. King did not “give his life” for justice and equality. It was stolen from him by assassination. Stolen from him not because he espoused the status quo, but because he was a radical and an extremist – a creative extremist. A man who challenged America’s social, political, economic and military systems by inspiring others through his words and deeds that he manifested in ways that were as creative as they were revolutionary.

So it is for that reason why I want to echo his call for “creative extremists” because today more than ever we are in dire need of radical thinkers. If you agree then please like and share this video with friends you feel it might inspire. And be sure to follow Griot's Eye on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more information and inspiration utilizing the power of graphic recording, graphic facilitation, and visual storytelling techniques.

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