As we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we must take time to reflect and commit ourselves to progressive, compassionate change. This holiday is, yes, one to celebrate - a day to consider the triumphs of the Civil Rights movements, the revolutionary contributions of black activists and artists, the story of everything that has led to today. But that cannot be all that it is. We cannot welcome the false sense of achievement we’ve been taught to slip into on the third Monday of every January. To do so would be to discredit the daily demonstrations demanding basic rights, deny the dangerous failings of the system, and diminish the mourning that weighs on communities that have come to know the realities of racism all too well. We must regard today with solace and solemnity rather than with victory. And we must keep moving forward. We must listen to firsthand accounts of oppression and marginalization. We must allow these stories to inform our worldview and advocacy. We must advocate vocally, but never speak for or over the group of the hour. We must speak and act with compassion, conscious of the power and privilege we carry. We must strive to educate ourselves. We must demand equality consistently and completely. We must do these things in King’s memory, yes, but also in Mike Brown’s, in Tamir Rice’s, in Sheneque Proctor’s - the list, to our great sorrow, goes on. And we must do these things with the urgent hope that together we can shift the tides and create a tomorrow where this is no longer our normal. In his book recounting the Montgomery bus boycott, King wrote: Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels inevitability. Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. [...] This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action. Ferguson Action has organized #ReclaimMLK to take back a legacy that has been “clouded by efforts to soften, sanitize, and commercialize it.” Their vision is that “from here on, MLK weekend will be known as a time of national resistance to injustice.” You can learn more about these efforts and find other resources here: fergusonaction/movement/. Other celebrations include MTV’s decision to air all programming in black and white and the Selma cast and crew’s commemorative march from Selma to Montgomery. Please join us in observing this holiday with remembrance, reflection, and action.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 18:41:44 +0000
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