7
One thing that really annoys me is to be misrepresented. You do not have to agree with my position but do not skew, minimize or alter what I stand for. This leads me to wonder how Dr. King would feel if he were able to witness his legacy as it stands today. If you ask children who he was many will reply “He had a dream”. Many adults will reply the same. Sprinkle in a little bit of he fought for civil rights, marched and led boycotts and of course he was non-violent and there you have it. That’s MLK in a nutshell. My inner history buff takes issue with such a safe and crafted synopsis. Whether you agree with how this man fought for justice one thing cannot be denied. He was brave as hell. But one thing we tend to forget is that in the midst of such bravery he was human. He had a family which
he loved. He second guessed himself at times. He was afraid at times. His views began to
expand as he grew older. Yet within those elements of human frailty
that none are immune to; he remained true to what he believed in knowing that
he would end up paying the ultimate sacrifice. Now that my friends is a “Real
O.G.” Rick Rozay aint got nothin’ on M.L.K.
The media has done a
fine job of turning Dr. King’s image into a few very well-played sound bites.
He was the man with the dream. Dreams are cool and such but he was a man of
action. If we whip out his resume “vivid dreamer” will not be listed. Instead
there will be a list of actions and risks that he and his cohorts took in order
to right the vicious and inhumane wrongs that were imposed upon Black people.
We have to remember they did not have super powers. Each year when I talk about
MLK with the youth I make a point to introduce them to the parts of him that
the media has deliberately swept underneath the historic rug. This year we
examined his discussion with Harry Belafonte in which he admitted he felt he
may have integrated his people into a burning house. That is a brilliant piece
of history. This man, this young, powerful, charismatic leader who appears so
decisive and resolute had doubts about what he
fought so hard to obtain? Dr. King had doubts? Yes he did. I choose not to
focus on whether or not I agree with the fight for integration. I will just say
that hindsight is 20/20 and I feel confident that he did what he felt was
right. The beauty in studying our
courageous leaders begins in identifying and exploring their humanity.
There is strength to
be found in his doubts. When we portray people as being above humanity we miss
the depths of the lessons and inspiration their lives can provide. We tend to
think that MLK was a civil rights Super Man. That means that we are excused
from striving for such greatness. He had a cape and we don’t. Well, he didn’t
have a cape. He didn’t have GPS. He didn’t have hindsight. He didn’t have a lot
of money either. He did second guess himself but he persevered. He had heart.
He was brave. Those are things that any of us can tap into within ourselves if
we choose to. Near the end of his life MLK grew disillusioned with the system.
He examined and re-examined the social and political climate of this country
and this world. His position grew into other directions that were much more
unpopular. His position began to be a threat to the economic control of the
powers that be. He knew this yet he remained outspoken and active in the fight
for justice and. Equality.
My point is that there
are MLK abilities within all of us. I’m not sure how Dr. King would feel if he
were able to see how mainstream media has portrayed him. He might ask why don’t
they publicize the last five years of his life. He might ask why they try to
act like they don’t know who assassinated him. I also think he might be
perturbed at the fact that they tried to elevate him to an untouchable hero. He
was of the people and for the people. I think he would want us, the people he
fought for to better identify with his life and his struggle. I think he would
not want us to teach our children to recite portions of his speeches. He would
want us to teach our children to be brave and speak out for injustice. He would
want us to teach our children to take full advantage of what he died for and to
create a better environment for the generations to come. He might remind us
that the movement was not comprised of dreamers. It was comprised of courageous
men and women of action. He would want us to get involved. So as you celebrate
the legacy of this man’s life over this extended weekend and throughout the
year; remember he was human like us. He was an exemplary human indeed but that
gives us no excuse. So if you’re a teacher, a mentor, a student, public
servant, doctor, coach or engineer you are capable of applying the same
greatness that Dr. King gave to all his endeavors. There is greatness within
all of us. Dr. King could have walked away when it got rough. He could have
backed out and let self-doubt get the best of him. He could have sold the
movement out and moved his family to some exclusive suburb in ATL. But he did
not do that. He was a man with conviction and integrity and he stayed true to
his cause even when it was hard. Will we do the same? That is how I think he
would love to see his life celebrated. What good is a parade if we walk away
fearful of doing our part to help bring about change? In honor of his full
legacy let’s strive to be more selfless and exceptional in or deeds. Let’s
honor Dr. King beyond the dream.
