Remembering Dr. King's Dream Anew
This weekend we
celebrate the 85th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King has become one of America’s most
revered figures, and it is fitting that we honor his memory each year at the
anniversary of his birth. Our nation is
a better place because of his witness to justice and freedom.
Time has a
tendency to transform and even obscure messages. Whereas Dr. King was considered by many in
the Euro-American community to be a radical, he was in many ways a moderating
voice. A person like Malcolm X was, at
least until the later part of his life, was a much more assertive
presence. It is likely that taken
together, the two men, both cut down in the prime of life by assassin’s
bullets, pushed America toward recognizing that freedom and justice were not
available to all its citizens. Unfortunately,
many Americans, believe that we have achieved full equality. But such is not the case. Even today, being white (which is my
coloration) is a greater predictor for success in life. This is called White Privilege. Many who share my coloration don’t want to
admit that these benefits exist, suggesting that we are now a post-racial
society (after all, we elected a Black President). Yes, there have been advancements, and there are
many more protections in place, but people of color still face an uphill
battle when it comes to gaining true equality in this country.
The question
that we face in our day is whether we’re willing to push beyond the status quo
and work toward true equality and true freedom.
If we’re to take up this calling, then we’ll have to continue heeding
the message that Dr. King’s enunciated fifty years ago, when he addressed the
people of America from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
On that day he
spoke of a time when people would be judged by their character, rather than the
color of their skin. It is a wonderful
image, but unfortunately it has too often been misunderstood. We hear a lot about the need for “color-blindness.” I don’t believe that this is what Dr. King
had in mind. To be color blind is to
suffer from a mild disability that prevents one from distinguishing between
certain colors.
Instead of being
color blind, I believe that Dr. King wanted us to celebrate our diversity, and
affirm each other as being fully human in our diversity not in spite of it. He spoke against prejudging people on the
basis of color, but he also called for the majority culture to give place to
those who didn’t share that culture.
The idea of
ethnic color blindness is much akin to the idea of America being a Melting
Pot. The problem with both analogies is
that in the end the majority culture determines what is normative and what is
not. If you don’t fit the norm, which in
our country is European American, then you will find it difficult to successfully
navigate this society. Your chances of
success are determined by your ability to assimilate to the norm. But is this what makes America America?
Is not our
diversity of cultures and ethnicity our strength? Are not our lives enriched by this
diversity? To name but one area of our
lives, consider the foods we have at our disposal: Indian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Thai, Chinese,
Japanese, Polish, German, Mexican, Brazilian, Cajun, Creole, Cuban, Ethiopian,
and many more. I for one am thankful for this gift!
As we celebrate
the memory of Dr. King today, let us choose to embrace each other as we are
and not require the other to be the same as me. Let us press on in our pursuit of the dream Dr. King proclaimed to the nation, so that there will be true freedom and true justice and true equality for
all. When that occurs, then people will be judged by
their character rather than the color of their skin.
As we pursue this dream, let us join in singing:
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring,
ring with the harmonies of liberty;
let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies,
let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us;
sing a sing full of hope that the present has brought us;
facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won. (James Weldon Johnson, 1921)
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