Human Dignity and Human Rights: From David Walker to Martin Luther King, Jr.

After the values of the Declaration of Independence were not realized for Black Americans, Black abolitionists were pressing for the abolition of slavery and the realization of full citizenship for African Americans. David Walker's Appeal from 1829 is the paramount document for this endeavor. Already the title, which addresses the Appeal "to the coloured citizens of the world," indicates that Walker aims for dignity and equal rights as universal norms. Against racist claims, Walker uses the theological concept of all human beings created in the image of God to sustain the claim for equal human rights. Martin Luther King, Jr., uses the concept of imago Dei from the very beginning of his public ministry. Yet, starting in 1962 he employs the theological concept of the image of God more regularly and systematically as a foundation of human dignity and, respectively, human rights. This paper analyzes continuity and differences between Walker and King and outlines the relevance of their contributions as trailblazers of the discourses on human dignity and human rights in their respective context as well as the civil rights struggle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]