If only Martin Luther King, Jr. had made it to see his 80th birthday…What a weekend!
What a weekend to be an African-American.
What a weekend to simply be an American.
Not only is it MLK Day, but it falls on the eve of the inauguration of America’s first Black President, Barack Obama.
Hollywood couldn’t have written it any better.
I recently heard a story from a buddy that got me to thinking about how far we’ve come from the days of MLK to the election of Obama.
My buddy, who is Black, was riding the bus when a white lady comes-up and looks at him. After a few moments, she speaks to him “You look like him…Obama.” My buddy paid the comment little mind as he bears lil resemblance to Obama…other than being Black.
Upon telling me the story, my first inclination was to roll my eyes and cite the old ‘You all look the same to me,’ mentality.
But as I thought about it, I changed my mind.
At least she engaged my buddy.
Back in college, I wrote an MLK Day column where I implored people to communicate with folks of other races and backgrounds. Communication is key.
Who knows how many people of color this lady on the bus has dealt with. Based-on the interaction with my buddy, I’d venture to guess not very many. But Obama seems to offer a bridge to start a dialogue that has been lacking for far too long.
Instead of focusing on the negative(s), look at how far we’ve come.
Blacks have gone from slavery, to Negro, to segregation, to Black, to African-American and now President…(a gross over-simplification, but I am not a historian.)
Some would think we are at the end of the road. But I caution those people, as I whole-heartedly disagree.
Obama’s election is a great accomplishment and it has now placed the issue of race on the table, in a way it never has been before, but we still have a very long way to go.
Should a Black President be a big deal? In a perfect world, No. We should be excited about the new President, not the color or his skin.
Now I am not naïve enough to talk about rainbows and seeing a world without color. MLK said it best in his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
I am not knocking the truly historic and monumental shift that Obama’s Inauguration represents. I just want to make sure that we don’t lose sight of the goal in all of the euphoria.
The fact that MLK’s words are still as relevant today as the day he uttered them only proves my point.
Racism is still alive and well in America. Obama does offer hope/proof that we are moving in the right direction. But to tout Obama’s election as the culmination of MLK’s Dream is premature.
We need to see Obama’s election as a step (a very big one, at that) towards the mountain top that MLK spoke of in his speech.
And as my buddy’s story exhibits, it’s gonna be a bit awkward at times, but it looks like we are getting there.
1 comment:
Do people still get Dr. King's birthday off? I honestly missed the event entirely. People complain that the true meaning of a three-day-weekend is lost because all people see is a day without work. I would point out that without the day off of work many of us (or perhaps just myself) can miss the day entirely--which obviously entails not pausing to consider the meaning. While I am not advocating for or against three-day-weekends I would like to point out that, to a large extent, we still live in a rather segregated society. Your plea for 'communication' is well-founded, but also difficult for many folks to follow through on. I honestly cannot remember the last black person I SAW, let alone had a conversation with. That is a sad commentary on our society, and an embarassing truth proving that I seriously need to get out more often.
My town is divided almost straight down the middle, not just by a river, but also by a racial divide that is only just starting to be crossed because white folks are moving out and Hispanic folks are taking their place. I find it interesting that in 50 years or so White people will be a minority in the USA, but many of us (or all races) are still living in neighborhoods with folks who look and act a lot alike. This divide seems to be getting worse in some suburbs (think of not speaking English while living on a block with a strong Homeowners Association). Immigrants of all cultures have always sought-out communities of 'their own kind' and that is understandable. For the rest of us, I am not sure how we got here, but we still have a long way to go. Anyone claiming that electing a black president proves that racial-tensions in our country are over is probably living someplace about as diverse as a slice of Wonder Bread. I am in agreement with you Homer, folks need to get out and communicate with eachother. White people can start with a good Michael Moore film, he always seems to point out that black people are really not much different from tubby white chunks like him. From there where we go will be up to us and our continuing efforts to align socio-economic circumstances with 'the content of our character'.
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