A quote attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. is adorning a cop car in a celebration of Black History Month in Columbus, Ohio. The problem is, the civil rights leader apparently never uttered it.
"Be the peace you wish to see in the world – Martin Luther King Jr." the quote pasted on the vehicle's rear windscreen reads, Vice News first reported.
"Introducing ‘History 1’ – our newest cruiser to celebrate the achievements of African Americans & recognize their roles in our history. Be on the lookout for ‘History 1’ in your neighborhood & at community events during February," the Columbus Division of Police said in a tweet.
But experts told Vice News that they could find no evidence linking the quote to MLK.
“I haven’t found any traces, and it doesn’t appear in the addresses and writings I know best,” Dr. Earl Schwartz, an associate professor of religion at Hamline University, told Vice News.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University has a list of King's quotes – but this one is absent. Lerone Martin, the Institute’s director and associate professor of religious studies, told VICE, “we have no record of the maxim."
A spokesperson for the Columbus Division of Police told Vice News that over the past several months, "this same cruiser has been wrapped for LGBTQ Pride month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Veteran’s Day, and the holiday season – with plans to recognize several upcoming holidays and campaigns in 2023," adding that “we have already been approached by members of the community to have this cruiser be part of several upcoming Black History Month events.”
The spokesperson did not address where the quote came from.
Read the full story at Vice News.