I have so many thoughts after watching Selma Movie... First, the movie was inspiring in so many ways. Although I understand it is the Hollywood version of history, it put a very real face to the struggle for the Voting Rights Act and the importance of getting to the polls. It highlights how important it is that your representation, your courts, and your government look like and actually represent your people. I sit here now, in 2015, recognizing that our Congress is mostly men... mostly white... and mostly Christian. I also recognize that the Voting Rights Act has been changed and stripped of many of its protections. I wonder what MLK would have to say about that now. The movie also highlighted Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s humanity... with real emotion, real struggle, real passion and purpose. It also showed how many people stood by him and provided him with the guidance, love, and support he needed when he needed it. I think about those Ive marched with in the past, those Ive campaigned with, and those I will work with in the future -- I wonder if anything we will ever do will ever amount to any actual change or progress. I wonder if I will have the patience with my loved ones or whether they will have patience with me to achieve a better, more peaceful, more equitable union. I am also thankful for all that they have already put up with. I think about the enemy... how in the 60s there was a concrete place, with concrete people, and a concrete goal to achieve. Now, the enemy is better... more evolved. Sure, you can register to vote -- but bring two IDs. Sure, you can get to the polls -- but we change the location year to year. Sure, you can cast a ballot -- but you may have to wait for awhile... especially if youre a certain color on a certain side of town. Sure, you can go during the work day -- but dont expect to get paid. From voting -- to just basic participation in society -- economic warfare is waged against average Americans... and those without are losing. For the most part (I dont feel like opening the can of police-brutality right now), we can go about business - including to the Courthouse or the polls - without being beaten with bats, barb-wire, and whips. But our elections are bought and paid for with an out of control bias media (on both sides) and a corrupt and high stakes / high dollar electoral finance system. There is not enough TV time to show the corruption and make that resonate with the average American. There is no battle cry to get us to fight. There is no real march or solidarity -- even amongst liberals -- to unite us. That is incredibly difficult for me... someone who feels so strongly about social justice. Lastly, knowing what we know now - 40 years later... I wonder if MLK picked the right war... the war for the right to vote. What would have happened if they would have focused on poverty instead? With so many issues, including the right to vote like explained above, connected to poverty -- was focusing on the right to vote the right call? What about today -- is now the time for us to focus on economic equity? I am emotionally drained... and full of thoughts and questions... but thats all I can possibly put together for now. Thoughts?
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 05:50:17 +0000
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