Speaker 1: 0:14

Welcome back to another episode of the Burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this every single week we're going to bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody from the business world who's helped us understand that why and purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose and causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. And then we have those special episodes. We've been doing that here a little bit for you, as we are lining up some amazing guests for you this year, but certain things line up on a calendar a certain way, where we make a choice to call an audible, and the audible today is to honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr. We're going to do some very special things today.

Speaker 1: 1:06

Play some clips from some of Dr Martin Luther King Jr's speeches that I believe we all need to hear again. But before we do that, I want to reflect on some of his words on this day as we honor him. You know, dr Martin Luther King Jr and we'll play part of this clip gave his I have a Dream speech where he talked about us living in a world one day where we would be judged by our character, not by our skin color or our religion. You see, I have a direct message for all of you today, before I play these clips and honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr. You know, I think it's sad and unfortunate what is still happening in the world today, when we had amazing leaders like Dr King. We are far better than we once were, but there is way too much work to be done, and I believe it starts in our homes. This is going to be a strong message today and some of you maybe you need to hear it, and for some of you, it might be affirmation that you are part of the beauty of this world and people who are loving on others, which is what this world needs so bad.

Speaker 1: 2:29

You know, I believe that not a single individual is born into this world to hate. Not a single individual is born in this world to think of one's color a certain way or their religion a certain way. Those are lessons that are taught in our homes. I was blessed and fortunate to be raised in a home that did not teach messages of hatred and violence and discrimination. As a result of what I was taught in the home that I grew up in. Those are the values that are taught in our home with Amy and Isaac and Kennedy Rose. They don't know hate, they don't know discrimination, they don't know racism. Those things are taught and for those of you that feel the way that I do you're teaching the same values in your home encourage others to do that in their homes, especially if you know it's not happening. When we turn a blind eye, that means we accept the way things are.

Speaker 1: 3:48

You know, dr Martin Luther King Jr encouraged us not to accept the way things are, but to take the action that is necessary to make the world a better place. Listen to his words, listen to what he asks of all of us. Listen to what he asks of all of us. Maybe you weren't fortunate enough to grow up in a home like I grew up in, where I believe the right values were taught. If you didn't, the home, whether you have children or not, whether it's just your friends, loved ones, significant others being in your home what you teach and accept in your home is what goes out into the world. If you weren't blessed to learn the lessons I learned as a little boy, you can change, you can break the cycle now and I encourage you to do so. Here are the words from Dr martin luther king jr's I have a dream speech, and then I'll be back.

Speaker 2: 4:54

I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day, on the Red Hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day, even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my poor little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day, right now in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight, and the goal of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the south with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day. This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing, with new meaning, my Country Tears of Deep, sweet land of liberty. Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride. From every mountainside Let freedom ring. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

Speaker 2: 8:24

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the crevice of slopes of California. But not only that. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and mole hill of Mississippi, from every mountainside. Let freedom ring in Hilton and Hamilton. When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, jews and Gentiles, protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty.

Speaker 1: 9:46

When you hear Dr Martin Luther King Jr's words. He asked us to love. He asked us to teach the right lessons of influence. He asked us to teach the right lessons of influence, but to say and to teach, but then to encourage others to take action. Dr Martin Luther King Jr's influence is extraordinary. He has impacted some of the greatest leaders walking the face of the earth today.

Speaker 1: 10:19

I was blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Coach Nick Saban for five years at the University of Alabama. Who would have thought that my relationship at Alabama would have started as a result of a Martin Luther King Jr speech? You see, nick Saban was always trying to find ways to get better messages, studying other great leaders. It's what made him an extraordinary leader. That never finished mindset.

Speaker 1: 10:54

He was actually at one time ranked as the number 11 leader in the world not football coach leader in the world by Forbes magazine, and it was in a press conference after winning a national championship when one of the reporters said Coach Saban, when are you going to start planning for next year? And basically the gist of it. I'm going to play the clip for you, essentially said tonight, because when he does something, he does it better than anybody else. And then he goes on to talk about the words in a speech, another speech from Dr Martin Luther King Jr. I'm going to run this clip from Coach Saban. It was this clip that got me started at Alabama. When I come back after this clip, I'll tell you a little bit of the story that opened up the door for Coach Saban to hire me. Let's run that clip.

Speaker 3: 11:52

Why do you do what you do? Are you driven to be the best at what you do? Yes, sir.

Speaker 3: 11:59

You know there's an old Martin Luther King sermon that you know talks about. There's only one guy that I'd let shine my shoes in Montgomery, alabama because of the pride he had in the performance of how he shined my shoes. I didn't want anybody else in the world to shine my shoes and the enjoyment he got that. He did a great job for what you did and you've probably heard this sermon and I'm just paraphrasing here. But if you're going to be a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be. Sweep the streets.

Speaker 3: 12:33

Like Michelangelo painted a Sistine Chapel, like shakespeare wrote literature, let him put a sign up right here that says the best street sweeper in the world lives right here. And if you can do that, you do the best there. You, you do the best there is in life, knowing you did your best to be the best you could be, no matter what you choose to do. That's why because there's no better feeling than knowing you did the best you could be I don't care if it's what you do, what I do, what the street sweeper does, it really doesn't matter.

Speaker 1: 13:02

I heard that press conference and then I decided to call my friends the Duvers at Vinyl Images here in St Louis Destiny Conley, joe Duver, john Duver. And I said to Joe Duver can you make me a street sign? Can you make me a street sign? Can you make me a street sign that says the best street sweeper in the world lives right here? And Joe says who is this for? And I said we're making this for Nick Saban. I told him about the press conference that you just heard. I wanted to get his attention. If you want to get somebody's attention, you cannot just send them a letter. Somebody like Nick Saban, you need to send them a box with a street sign so that he says what in the world is in that box. I'm going to share a couple pictures here of the actual sign that they made. Then, the day that Coach Saban interviewed me in his office, the day that he hired me, I had the blessing of learning from Coach Saban and spending five years in two national championships at Alabama.

Speaker 1: 14:02

Martin Luther King Jr's words inspired him to be a great leader. He used those words in a press conference. That press conference got my attention. You see the words and the things that we say and what we teach and we encourage others to take action with attracts and has significance forever. That is legacy. That, my friends, is power. Now we will play for you the clip of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and his speech about Michelangelo and the street sweeper.

Speaker 2: 14:48

And then I'll be back one final time If it falls your love to be a street sweeper. Sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Leontine Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. And sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, be a scrub in the valley, but be the best little scrub on the side of the real. Be a bush. If you can't be a tree, if you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star, for it isn't by size that you win or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are.

Speaker 1: 15:56

So I encourage you on this day and you could go back I really encourage you to do two things. Number one go back and listen to more on this day. Just slow down and listen to Dr Martin Luther King Jr's powerful words, leadership speeches and carry them with you, not just on this day but every day, because it's amazing leaders like him whose messages echo in eternity. That's legacy. But I would also encourage you to continue, if you are already doing so, to place lessons of love in your home. Because if there's a child who's born into your home as I reiterate, they are not born to hate, they're not born to be racist, they're not born to have opinions about somebody's race and religion. Those things are taught. If you're already teaching lessons of love and the right messages of values and integrity that Dr Martin Luther King Jr taught us, then that's that extra burn and fire in you of living the right way and go live a world and a life on fire. But if there's an opportunity for you to maybe change your messages of what's taught, it's never too late, because if we don't change it in our homes, if we don't stop those who we hear are sharing and teaching messages of hatred, it'll never stop and the full dream that Martin Luther King Jr had may never come true. And how sad that would be, because, if you go back and replay the words that he shared earlier, why would anybody not want to live that way, in a world of love and passion and doing the right thing? God bless each and every single one of you.

Speaker 1: 17:46

This has been the Burn. I encourage you to share this episode. Outro Music.