Thread by @HamptonThink

As our state-sponsored celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. commences, let’s not forget some important facts about this great man:

1) He was against the Vietnam War during a time when many Americans were not. Decades later, this view against the war has developed into...

mainstream narrative, but in the 1960s, those who spoke out & marched against it (students, activists) & refused to serve (Muhammad Ali) were beaten, hosed down, killed & jailed. He would undoubtedly be railing against the US imperialist state and its perpetual war machine today.

2) He condemned issues like poverty, inequality, and racism as *systemic* ills, not merely individual shortcomings. To this day, such broad analyses (those touching on capitalism and white supremacy) are rejected and disregarded by most as “fringe” or “too radical.” In this way..

Dr. King would still be viewed as “too radical” by the current mainstream media (the same folks who whitewash & co-opt his legacy, and then celebrate this watered-down version of the man).

3) He was hated and despised by a majority of white America. In 1966, he had a 63 percent

negative poll rating. He had rocks thrown at his head and was routinely spat on during marches. This hatred still exists today. Simply turn on TV stations or radio shows - or peruse social media comments - to see how black liberation movements are ridiculed, loathed, and detested

by the thousands. Nazis & white supremacists are marching in US streets & congregating on social media. There is no doubt that Dr. King would be on the front lines of current movements & therefore, would still take the brunt of this hatred, ignorance & disrespect - even in 2020.

4) He was considered to be “an enemy of the state” by various government agencies. The FBI tapped his phone calls, blacklisted him as a “suspected Communist,” and sent anonymous letters demeaning him and encouraging him to commit suicide. Various levels of the government,

from the FBI to the Memphis Police Dept, have been found to have some involvement in his death. Now the FBI shamelessly tweets shout outs to him.

5) He initiated the “Poor People’s Campaign” and put forth an economic and social bill of rights that espoused “a national

responsibility to provide work for all.” Dr. King advocated for a jobs guarantee and would end unemployment by requiring the government to provide jobs to anyone who could not find one. The bill of rights also included “the right of every citizen to a minimum income," regardless

of whether they are employed. Today, these proposals would be laughed at by media pundits, and he would be written off as "crazy" by many of the same folks who pretend to celebrate him.

6) He supported the Planned Parenthood Federation and believed that things like

“family planning and contraception” should be fully funded by the government – ideas that are despised by modern conservatives who have no shame in calling on their whitewashed version of Dr. King’s legacy to use for their own agendas.

Celebrating Dr. King’s life and role in the struggle is important, but learning and considering the *real* man and his *real* ideas is even more crucial in a time that still needs them.

Let’s celebrate Dr. King for who he really was: a radical people’s champion who confronted the power structure, faced down the defenders of this structure, challenged capitalism, challenged poverty, challenged white supremacy, challenged militarism and war,

and challenged the status quo that engulfs all of these elements – a status quo that still exists. A status quo that now shamelessly co-opts his legacy for its own use.

Never Forget.

#MLKDay #MLK #MLKDay2020