(This blog was started the day after MLK Day...sorry for the delay...)
Peace and blessings to you all!
It has been a while since my last blog post, but there has not been a shortage of things to talk about. Ironically, with the birthday of one of the most recognized civil rights icons in American history being recently celebrated, I felt moved to share my thoughts.
It has not been a coincidence that, even with everything that has happened regarding the state of our country and Donald Trump being president, I haven't had much to say in my blog posts recently. I mean, what can be said that isn't already being said everyday by anyone who can speak, type, write, use sign language, etc? I find myself saying, multiple times, almost everyday that I can't believe he's actually the president. That's not naivete. It's actual disbelief. With all the talk of Barack Obama being a relative political newcomer, it's baffling to try and comprehend how, not a person like Trump could get elected but how TRUMP actually got elected. With every new scandal, every new allegation, resignation of a top official, outlandish remark, late night tweet, etc., I shake my head. I can't help but wonder what the reaction would have been if Obama acted as Trump is now. I am pretty certain there would have been some politicians trying to change some laws so that he could immediately be removed from office. Hell, they were trying to do that anyway and there wasn't anything like what we see going on now happening with him.
It speaks to where we are as a nation. It speaks to why Obama was "allowed" to be President. It speaks to why Martin Luther King Jr. was shot down and killed in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968. A man who preached non-violence and spoke of love and peace. An imperfect man, yes, but nonetheless a man of conviction; a man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the betterment of those during his time and for those who would follow.
Martin Luther King wanted to make the world a better place. That was his dream, a dream he never got to see. I can't help but reference the Boondocks episode that depicted a world in which King was still alive. I tend to think that if he was able to continue on with what he started, if other Black leaders and activists weren't killed for fighting for what they believed was right, then this world would be very different. I've mentioned in previous blog posts that I feel like the progress we have made in this country is less about equality and more about necessity. Or even inevitability. We don't live in a perfect society but I feel like the level of oppression that minorities still experience today is directly related to the white supremacist construct that, obviously, isn't going anywhere. It was designed to be permanent, to withstand any attempts to break it down. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by that construct, not just at the hands of James Earl Ray. The number of unarmed Black men and women who have been killed by police and other non-minority citizens, with little to no accountability for the officers or people involved, are victims of that construct. Donald Trump becoming president is a direct result of that construct. The rules that are keeping him in office are in place due to the design of the construct. Martin Luther King's Jr.'s dream was to see that construct no longer be what shapes our nation. As we can see today, it not only shapes our nation, it is what some people feel makes our nation great.
Inclusion. Equality. Tolerance. Basic human compassion and decency. These are the things that currently are being deemed as unnecessary "political correctness". These are the ideals that people like Trump and his supporters feel are tearing apart the fabric of "this once great country". Trump's executive action to repeal pretty much all of the Obama era legislation is just him pandering to those who voted for him. The ironic thing is most of Trumps supporters, poor white Americans, are being adversely affected by these moves. But yet, they still support him, even though he has shown that he is not fit to lead this country. He never was. But the construct was built so that someone like him could take the highest seat in the country and affect laws that benefit him and those like him, the wealthy and elite. It's always going to be that way. It has to for this construct to survive.
As a Black American, I want to see a day when Dr. King's dream actually comes true. A large part of me doesn't see that as a reality. We live in a world where our differences make us who we are, for bad and for worse. The optimist in me would like to think there can be this one uniting event that can bring us to see the human in each other and help eradicate the hate that still exists in our society. But the realist in me is finishing this blog at the beginning of February, a month that is considered Black History Month but is also the shortest month of the year. I can't help but see the irony in that. Ican't help but see the irony in the fact that right after our first Black president spent 8 years in the White House, Donald Trump took his place. It feels like it was intentionally done to "right the ship" as it were, to do what seemed to be right and progressive just to turn around and go back to how things were, "how things are supposed to be".
I look at all the Black icons of our past, those here now and look forward to watching a generation of new icons take their rightful places in American history and I wonder: When will the dream be fulfilled? As I type these words, completing them on Super Bowl Sunday, I think about how Janet Jackson has been the scapegoat of that infamous "wardrobe malfunction" while the person who performed with her, Justin Timberlake, will be performing again during this year's halftime show. I think about how Colin Kaepernick, who once took a team to the Super Bowl, has essentially been blacklisted for his silent and peaceful protests against police brutality because he chose to kneel during the National Anthem. I think about the lengths that Donald Trump has gone to in his efforts to vilify those who chose to follow Kaepernick's lead, even making a tongue in cheek "warning" to players thinking about kneeling during the Super Bowl. I look at how the numbers of those deciding to kneel waned after Trump's "son's of bitches" comment toward protestors and I think about Dr. King's dream. I think about our history as Black people in this country and can't help but feel like the dream that King talked about will always give way to the nightmare that was his and still is our reality today.
So what can we do? I feel like it is important for us to use whatever avenues/ platforms that we have to speak out against the injustices that we see happening around us. One's form of activism isn't necessarily the cup of tea for another. We may not all agree on boycotting Netflix or not watching NFL games and the Super Bowl but we should respect each other's right to choose whatever way they decide to show their activism. Something could look small to one person but it could have a tremendous effect on those who choose that route. Others may feel more useful organizing or attending rallies and peaceful protests. Some may choose to use their art or other talents to express themselves and their displeasure with the current social climate that we find ourselves in. Whatever avenues we choose, the important thing is that we make the decision to act and then do. Support others that are using their platforms as often and as much as you can. Show the unity that we want to see in our society amongst those who share your our views and goals. And, above all else, don't forget the dreams of those that sacrificed their lives so that we could push their work forward and finish what they all started. If we can do that, we might make Dr. King's dream come true after all.
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