As you get to posting all the tributes to #MLK be sure to include the quotes that make us think & question the heavy reliance on the sanitation of his message that is used to make him more palatable in a white supremacist society.
This man was not nationally beloved at the time of his assassination. He was stalked by the state, blamed for Black & Brown folk not knowing our place, & seen as a national threat.
But every year, we come to this day & timelines burst w/ ahistorical references to a colorblind society & calls for acts of service. Nay to the colorblind stuff & as for the acts of service, cool cool, but this man fought for equality - social, political, & economic equality.
We still have none of these things. We are in a pandemic that shows us that we prioritize $$ over humanity in every possible way. We continue to blame systemic oppression, marginalization & exclusion on laziness.
A substantial portion of the country wants to go back to 'the good ole days when we were great,' & many of us are still waiting for those days to appear for the first time. So great for whom exactly?
Change is slow. April will mark 54 years since MLK's assassination.
And we are facing a wave of voter suppression, extrajudicial murders of BIPOC folks, indigenous women vanishing with little attention, economic disarray & more.
Are is this living the Dream?
And we are facing a wave of voter suppression, extrajudicial murders of BIPOC folks, indigenous women vanishing with little attention, economic disarray & more.
Are is this living the Dream?
Tomorrow, after sprucing up a school, ladling at the soup kitchen, or cleaning a park today, what will we do to improve our efforts towards full equality?
Don't get me wrong: Go and do the good things. But be clear about our individual responsibilities in creating a more equitable & inclusive society. A day of service doesn't really move the needle.
Since the origins of the holiday, my family has practiced this as a day of rest & reflection as we continue the pursuit of full equality. We are in it to win it everyday, today we rest & honor the fallen. I will read new DEI content, write some future plans & watch some docs.
Keep the Dream alive, but be clear what the Dream was and still is: Equality.
Be blessed y'all.
Be blessed y'all.
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