I wonder how many Americans celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. By celebrating it, I don’t mean how many had a barbecue or went skiing while rejoicing in not having class for a day. What I mean is: how many took the time to reflect on his amazing legacy? There’s more than a little irony in creating a day of leisure to commemorate an individual whose legacy of personal sacrifice and hard work are the antithesis of taking it easy.
It’s even more troubling given the obvious need for King’s message of peace and advocacy in the face of troubling violence, war and undeniable discrimination. One wonders where we would be without his sacrifices today?
If he were still living today, would he be proud of how far we’ve come? Or would he be dismayed by how far we have to go? African Americans cannot be legally restricted from voting anymore, but it is readily apparent that a variety of tactics are being employed at polling places to dampen black turnout. According to recent census data, black median household income is only 60% of what whites enjoy. The Poverty Index for blacks is nearly twice what it is for whites. Home ownership for whites is 28 percent higher than for blacks. Blacks receive fewer tests and less medication than whites for heart disease and diabetes.
The list of disparities is endless. Yet some of the biggest stories of the past few years have focused on the killings of unarmed black youth at the hands of police and vigilantes. Hoodies and Skittles are the banal memes of the ongoing killings of young black males.
Here at the University of Oregon, the trends are equally discouraging:
• Faculty of color at the UO comprise only 14 percent of the total faculty.
• According to the office of the registrar, only 5,119 (20.9 percent) of undergraduate students at the UO are an ethnic minority.
• Only 468 of that total number are African Americans.
One has to wonder what King would say? According to the NAACP, of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S., one million are African-Americans. The organization also notes that though whites use drugs at five times the rate of African-Americans, blacks are sent to prison for drug offenses at an astronomical 10 times more often than whites. Can anyone really say that racial discrimination no longer exists in the U.S.?
Nearly 50 years after King was assassinated, the U.S. continues to struggle with racial disparities, with a lack of equality in employment, education and opportunity. Ironically, the U.S. can point to military service as one of the few places where black participation has actually flourished. Ironic because one of King’s forgotten legacies is his insistence that civic advocacy and demonstrations be peaceful and that military spending was siphoning money away from where it could be better spent.
What, then, are we to make of this legacy that is both inspirational and invigorating, yet in so many ways unrealized? How do we take stock of such potential and promise in the face of persistent poverty? What do we do to move forward when there seem to be an increasing chorus of voices that argue that there is no need to do anything at all? What would King say about an American populace that cannot muster the time or attention to get up and vote?
Conjecture is easy. Arriving at answers that move us forward is harder. I went to see the movie Selma the other night. The compelling story of courage and resiliency in the face of violence, ignorance and repression was deeply moving, principally because so much of it is consistent with our national character. It’s the story of a people seeking freedom and the most basic of rights, to be treated equally. But racism is still very much alive and well. It remains stubbornly resistant.
One of the least understood aspects of King’s birthday is that it is the only federal holiday that is meant to be observed as a day of service. In other words, celebrating it means doing something to improve your community. It represents an opportunity to make progress, to continue fighting for a goal that is worth achieving. Fulfilling King’s legacy of peace and equality is something that is worth working for.
Follow Bayley Sandy on Twitter: @bayleyjsandy
Sandy: Remembering what Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for
Bayley Sandy
January 18, 2015
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