Often when remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we mourn his death and praise his nonviolence, yet in doing so, we only perpetuate a one dimensional view of such a dynamic man. We acknowledge his enormous strength and compassion without looking deeper into him and the movement that he represented. Stokely Carmichael once said, “In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.” However, King, despite being beaten and attacked, demonstrated a love for all people that was not shown to him.
Recently, at my school, I heard a speech, not just about King, but about his humanity. Often overlooked, King’s humanity affected how he saw the world and the message he brought to it. We remember his fight for racial equality but forget that he protested against the Vietnam War and advocated for economic equality and labor unions. Essentially, King fought for much more than any of these causes but for people to see other people as human.
On this Martin Luther King Day, 53 years after his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, while we celebrate the legacy of a dedicated and courageous man, we must reflect on what we have done to achieve his dream and what we have left to do. In the 30 years of the holiday’s existence, America has seen a black man in the White House and the rise of the Martin Luther King Memorial; however, each victory has come at a cost.
Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and many more have been murdered and will never get justice. Every news cycle is filled with new blood and violence, and the names of the dead are ingrained in our memories. As the Black Live Matter fights for justice as King fought for equality, we must each do our part to achieve King’s dream while we celebrate his life.
Despite fighting for the Voting Rights Act of ‘65, still only 66.2% of black people voted in the 2012 presidential election, and that was the only time that black people voted at a higher rate than white people since the Census started publishing voting statistics. Although hurdles remain on the road to voting, we must do our part so that our representatives reflect our needs. As a people, we need to make sure that we continue the work that Dr. King started. In 2014, the annual median income of black households was $35,398 while the nation’s was $53,657. Our poverty rate was 26.2%, yet the national rate was 14.8%. These statistics represent the unique condition that black people face as we struggle to progress in a world of racism and discrimination, so as we reflect on the memory of Dr. King and all that he achieved, we must remember to tackle our current issues. His legacy must motivate us to continue our own social justice and lessen our disparities.
Sources: infoplease.com
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