Monday, January 17, 2005
MLK
It is Martin Luther King Junior Day. A day we celebrate the slain civil rights leader by giving kids the day off from school and having 50-70% off most major items at the mall, just like he would have wanted it.
The loss of Dr. King was more than just the loss of a leader in the black community, it was the loss of our last real leader. This isn't to say that everyone liked King. Whites feared him and the changes he sought. Many blacks came to believe that King simply didn't go far enough. As for King himself, he wasn't satisfied. Not after the civil right's act of 1963, when even the liberal leaning New York Times begged for him to stop his crusade because he needed to give whites a chance to get used to the idea. Not when he finally got the voting rights act passed in 1965. Despite what some people think, Dr. King wasn't seeking black rights, he was seeking equal rights. Not just by law, but in social status as well.
While the laws in place now certainly do fulfill the legal part, the social status issue is a tough one. We're seeing a growing gap between the haves and have-nots in this country and so maybe the future fight won't be simply black and white, but rich and poor. Don't think for a second that this is a fight that Dr. King would have shied away from. He was the last of the leaders in this country.
His words alone would wrap around the listener, raising you from your seat and guiding you to the righteous cause. We lack such a leader today. Perhaps as a society we're too intent on bringing everyone down. Picking at our potential leader's every fault until they bleed out, unwilling to go further. King was not a perfect man, he had many affairs on Corretta, but his cause was always bigger. Perhaps we wouldn't allow for such a thing today. Maybe he'd be cut down where he stood, by the press, long before an assassins’ bullet could reach him.
It's time for a new leader to emerge. We need another call to arms. To fight for those who cannot rise up themselves. To fight for a change. To fight for a chance at a better tomorrow. Where is that leader? When will they come? Do we wait in vain? Maybe it's time we sucked up our own cowardice and take up the mantle ourselves? But who amongst us has the courage to stand up against those that will attack with little regard for right and only to injure? Who will put themselves on the line for a change that may not see fruition til long after they have passed? Who among us has the courage?
If you know such a person, let me know. We need to talk.
The loss of Dr. King was more than just the loss of a leader in the black community, it was the loss of our last real leader. This isn't to say that everyone liked King. Whites feared him and the changes he sought. Many blacks came to believe that King simply didn't go far enough. As for King himself, he wasn't satisfied. Not after the civil right's act of 1963, when even the liberal leaning New York Times begged for him to stop his crusade because he needed to give whites a chance to get used to the idea. Not when he finally got the voting rights act passed in 1965. Despite what some people think, Dr. King wasn't seeking black rights, he was seeking equal rights. Not just by law, but in social status as well.
While the laws in place now certainly do fulfill the legal part, the social status issue is a tough one. We're seeing a growing gap between the haves and have-nots in this country and so maybe the future fight won't be simply black and white, but rich and poor. Don't think for a second that this is a fight that Dr. King would have shied away from. He was the last of the leaders in this country.
His words alone would wrap around the listener, raising you from your seat and guiding you to the righteous cause. We lack such a leader today. Perhaps as a society we're too intent on bringing everyone down. Picking at our potential leader's every fault until they bleed out, unwilling to go further. King was not a perfect man, he had many affairs on Corretta, but his cause was always bigger. Perhaps we wouldn't allow for such a thing today. Maybe he'd be cut down where he stood, by the press, long before an assassins’ bullet could reach him.
It's time for a new leader to emerge. We need another call to arms. To fight for those who cannot rise up themselves. To fight for a change. To fight for a chance at a better tomorrow. Where is that leader? When will they come? Do we wait in vain? Maybe it's time we sucked up our own cowardice and take up the mantle ourselves? But who amongst us has the courage to stand up against those that will attack with little regard for right and only to injure? Who will put themselves on the line for a change that may not see fruition til long after they have passed? Who among us has the courage?
If you know such a person, let me know. We need to talk.
