In American history and memory, few figures stand as prominently as Martin Luther King Jr. In the minds of countless Americans, he remains the consummate activist for civil rights and social justice. Perhaps the most telling indication of his stature is the manner in which he is called upon, again and again, by proponents of varying political parties and ideologies as somebody who would, were he alive, support their candidacy, position, or initiative. The objective of this article is to document and discuss how the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. has become political propaganda. This is not a partisan effort and will not argue who “got it right” or “got it wrong” in claiming King as a supporter. Nor will it posthumously assign King membership in a political party or align him with a particular ideology. It aims only to present this ongoing history.

中文翻译：

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“死人造就了如此便利的英雄”：小马丁·路德·金的政治宣传遗产的使用和滥用

在美国的历史和记忆中，很少有人物像马丁·路德·金那样突出。在无数美国人的心目中，他仍然是公民权利和社会正义的杰出活动家。也许最有说服力的迹象表明了他的地位，这是各种政党和意识形态的拥护者一次又一次地呼吁他的方式，就像他还活着一样，支持他们的候选人资格，地位或主动性。本文的目的是记录和讨论小马丁·路德·金的遗产如何成为政治宣传。这不是一种党派的努力，也不会争论谁在声称金为支持者时“正确”或“错误”。它也不会死后分配国王的政党身分或使他与特定的意识形态保持一致。