MLK DAY 2007
I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said about this great man. But a man who stood up for an entire people and never fell down in the face of adversity…A little less than a year ago I wrote a BlackPages about Martin Luther King, Jr., and where we as Black people are since his unfortunate death. And what’s said is that a lot of what I talked about a year ago is still true today…
Earlier this month we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Where were you because I know where I was. I was at work and I’m quite sure that MLK did not get shot so big companies can bank in on a Federal Holiday. I also don’t think that MLK was shot so I could sit at home and sleep in, as I’m sure I would’ve. We need to remember and honor the memory and spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is true that everyone has their own perception of what MLK means to them, however he must mean something more than a day off from school or work. This man helped inspire a movement that not only changed lives but changed the world and helped take us to a new level of racial tolerance. However he is no longer physically with us, so we must take ourselves to the next level. We can’t just remember the dream. We must also honor the dreamer and make his dream a reality. Because as of now, his dream is not a reality. Yes it is true that little black boys and black girls can join in hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. Yes it is true that the sons of former slaves can sit down with the sons of former slave owners at the table of brotherhood. Yes it is true that black people are no longer denied the lodging of the hotels of highways and the motels of the city. Yes it is even true that we as white people and black people are able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together however we as a people still face that mountain of oppression that we faced with King.
Black people are still receiving a check of freedom that is stamped with insufficient funds.
Since MLK has died Black people have been lying in the slums of racial prejudices, fiends of the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. We haven’t made a massive progression forward since that faithful March on Washington. Our whirlwinds of revolts have become nothing more than a passing breeze. Where is the fire of the people that was seen in the wake of Hurricane Katrina?!? Where did it go and why did it die so quickly? Aaron McGruder takes presents his views on King’s Dream and its affect on society today in his January 15th episode entitled, “Return of the King”. Adult Swim describes the episode as:
“When Martin Luther King comes out of a coma after 32 years and finds himself thrust into the 21st century and life in the post-September 11th era, his “turn the other cheek” philosophy quickly takes him from beloved national hero to despised terrorist sympathizer”
In the episode King gives a new speech, in which he takes a cue from Bill Cosby and blasts the black community and what they’ve done to “The Dream”. However unlike Cosby, King’s declamation inspires action in the black community. I watched the show, and it was one of the inspirations to this column. However, as with an issue not everyone had the same views as I. Scott Kerwin on Dean’s World states:
I have mixed feelings about the show: I find myself laughing a lot, but cringe at much of the satire. Not because of the “n” word, or the racism. It’s rough but it’s intended to be.
What bothers me is the shallowness. It’s like Aaron McGruder’s has tapped into a wealth of material, and has an eye for cultural sensitivity - but he doesn’t know what to do with it. He’s all over the map when it comes to his political beliefs. He criticizes black culture; white culture; Bush. The war on Terror. Iraq. When he broaches these topics he doesn’t know where to go, or what to do with them. In the end he just lets the theme die. For example in tonight’s episode MLK, Jr bawls out Black Culture and then leaves the country for Canada. In the end Oprah becomes President in 2020 and King dies in Vancouver at the age of 91.
Huh?
McGruder takes time to ensure that the history of his show are correct. When King criticizes the black culture and leaves he, in my opinion, shows King as another historic figure who heavily influences the black culture in America and then turns around and leave soon after, that figure would be W.E.B DuBois. King, in the episode, realizes that he is no longer capable of successfully leading the black people in the condition they were in because he didn’t understand their situation. He was no longer in touch with the people he helped inspire. He left Huey in charge and told him to do what he could, but as you notice it wasn’t Huey that lead black folks to change. It wasn’t King either. It wasn’t any single person, it was a mass movement. Black People struggling,sacrificing, and doing what they had to do to change the current affairs of their people.
We; whether we are freedom fighters, hippies, black, white, protestants, catholics, jews, or gentiles, need to realize that we don’t need a leader or figure head to show us the way to the promise land. We need to stand on our own feet beside someone on their feet, beside someone on their feet, hand in hand and stand joined and unified together and fight to end the injustices that face us all. Because as King said, “we cannot walk alone”, we must stand united and forever conduct the struggle on the high plane of dignity and disciple. January 16th, MLK Day comes and goes but we must remember its not all about how you honor the dream on that day, but how we make that dream a reality on everyday in between.
And you know what’s even worse than a year ago being in the same place…is that decades after Martin Luther King Jr., died we are still in the same place. Fund raisers can’t even raise enough money to finish his memorial in Washington DC. I was at the groundbreaking…I know. I know it was not his dream to watch black people degrade themselves on reality tv. I know it was not his dream to have black men murdered by police for no justification. And I know it was not his dream to have certain black people rise up through the ranks and not reach back a hand to help out his fellow brothers and sisters. I know for a fact that wasn’t his dream. We all need to think about where we are in our lives..and where we wanna head. Because without a dream and will power…then we’re all just asleep.
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