45 Years...

This week we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the murder of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Many of these celebrations invoked Rev. Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" Speech. While many of us know the constant refrain of "I Have A Dream," I would much rather focus on the portions of the speech that are not easily recalled from the suppressed psyche of the media and so many scholars of color...

"We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

45 years later...would Dr. King be proud?

No...he wouldn't.

There is an inherent distrust of all minorities of white people. Many Hispanics are under the impression that most whites (and I use that term sparingly) see them as a nuisance. An immigration problem to be dealt with only under the harshest terms that the law will allow. Ignoring the fact that many of them are hardworking, patriotic, and *gasp* LEGAL.

Our Arabic brothers and sisters are under the strain of being viewed as terrorists. They are in constant fear of being victimized under the banner of patriotism. They are called "raghead", "sand nigger", and "terrorist" as though these monikers describe them in a universal sense.

Black people...well, we have an entire struggle that continues. This does not diminish the stature of other minorities' fight for civil rights and equal treatment, because we are undoubtedly in lockstep. However, we seem to be a target of preference. (Keep in mind, this is coming from a slightly biased perspective) Our youth are under attack in the form of Shaquanda Cotton, Marcus Dixon, Genarlow Wilson, and the Jena 6. We are constantly the victims of police brutality with cases such as Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. We are used as minstrels in various forms of society through artforms of our own creation. Lastly, we kill ourselves in unprecedented numbers as society deems those in our lower social stratas incorrigible and worthy of ridicule. (See the AL.com "Hardball Politics" forum for more on that...)

It is tragic...

In 2008 is is truly tragic that there is so much racial discord in America...

I am not naive enough to think that our racial problems would disappear overnight with the signings of the Voting Rights Act or the Civil Rights Act. I'm also the first to admit that we've made MUCH progress over the past few decades. However, the past few years have brought deep seated feelings of racial hatred to the forefront and a spotlight has been shone on it as a result of this year's presidential race...but this is not a post about Barack Obama so I'll leave it at that.



Another thing that we typically ignore around this time and MLK Day is Rev. King's opposition to the war in Vietnam. Of this war, he said:

""Let me say finally that I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. And there can be no great disappointment where there is not great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. We are presently moving down a dead-end road that can lead to national disaster. America has strayed to the far country of racism and militarism. The home that all too many Americans left was solidly structured idealistically; its pillars were solidly grounded in the insights of our Judeo-Christian heritage. All men are made in the image of God. All men are brothers. All men are created equal. Every man is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth. Every man has rights that are neither conferred by, nor derived from the State--they are God-given. Out of one blood, God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. What a marvelous foundation for any home! What a glorious and healthy place to inhabit. But America's strayed away, and this unnatural excursion has brought only confusion and bewilderment. It has left hearts aching with guilt and minds distorted with irrationality.

It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to come back home. Come home, America..."

I concur...

His words echo into this millennium as we are in the midst of a STILL unjustified war in Iraq...

While I will not tarnish MLK's post with my feelings on this war, I will say that I believe that he would be firmly opposed to such a military action...

I pray that one day our children will be able to grow and learn in a world that does not have racism, reverse racism, or even "unracism" as I like to coin certain actions.

I only pray...or dream...that my children will learn from MY mistakes...their grandparents mistakes...their great grandparents mistakes and live as a generation without bias or hate...

Because at 24...I've already lost that hope for MY generation...