While I am always cognizant of the strife that ignited the Civil Rights Movement, I also continuously reflect on the strides and tremendous accomplishments that resulted from it – even though it resulted in the death of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most prolific and committed advocates of equal rights in this country’s history.
Every year as the country pays homage to the Civil Rights icon during the King holiday, I often find myself inquisitive about the state of Americans in general and African-Americans in particular. The year 2014 was a year of considerable progress relative to activism. Numerous, senseless killings of unarmed Black males by the hands of white police officers, who were later found not guilty ignited mostly peaceful protests from a rainbow of advocates around the world.
But it’s important to remember the high-profile protests that occurred last year were not just about violence. Some protests were in support of freedom of speech, equal rights and others specifically related to concerns of a certain demographic of people such as Native Americans.
As I watched the coverage of protests and even participated in some myself, I was proud of what I saw and I knew King would be as well. Those peaceful protests of 2014 captured two of King’s main objectives: nonviolent activism and solidarity amongst people of various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
In the midst of the unrest, seeing such demonstrations gave and continue to give me hope the country and world will become a better, more cohesive place to exist. But more needs to be done. We have to peacefully demonstrate for other things too, not just those headline news items of the day.
For instance, while police brutality remains a problem in our nation, so too are Black-on-Black crimes. The reality is there are more African-American males killed at the hands of another African-American male than there are those who are killed by police officers.
Most national and international news outlets don’t report on those crimes as aggressively as they do hate crimes or even police brutality crimes. Black-on-Black killings and other forms of violence against one another is a serious issue and we need the same type of involvement that police shootings get to reduce the number of intra-racial homicides.
And this activism doesn’t just have to come from Blacks…we should feel passionate about ills that affect people – regardless of race, color or creed. I always talk about compassion and how the world needs more of it. It’s true – we need to be more compassionate people who look at one another as fellow human beings rather than a Black person, an Asian person, a Hispanic person and so forth.
We need to look at one another despite the position they hold in their office, the letters behind their name, or the amount of money in their bank accounts. Once we look at one another simply as a human, the way we treat others will drastically improve and the limitations we impose on people who are different than us will reduce significantly. It’s that simple.
Speaking of simple solutions, some things are simple and don’t require long drawn out processes or intermediaries. It pains me to say this, but I must.
For years, the children of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have been a divisive bunch.
They have fought publically about aspects of his estate. It is incredibly disheartening, considering the cause of civil rights, the cause their father stood for, fought for and for which, he ultimately laid down his life.
This past week, King’s remaining children Bernice, MLK III and Dexter Scott King were back in a Georgia court squabbling over who should have control of their father’s Bible and Nobel Peace Prize.
The sons want to sell both items for money while Bernice opposes such actions. Tuesday, the judge, Robert McBurney delayed his decision until a trial that is set for next month. This fight between the siblings have been going on for years now.
It is a shameful way to treat the legacy of their father and the sons should indeed be ashamed.
There are some things that should never be sold. The Bible that King carried throughout his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement is one such item. The Nobel Peace Prize he earned through his peerless leadership is another.
Coincidentally, but not surprising, when King received the $54,123 prize money given to Nobel Peace Prize recipients he donated the money to the Civil Rights Movement. Scripture says money is the root of all evil and this debacle his children are in the midst proves that scripture remains the ultimate truth. It is unfortunate and disrespectful that the adult children of King behave in such a disparaging manner.
This Monday, as our city, state and nation mark Dr. Martin Luther King Day Jr., I have a dream. I dream of King’s children coming together in unity to honor their father’s legacy, by agreeing to offer his Bible, and his Nobel Peace Prize, as cultural treasures belonging to all Americans. Let these artifacts be preserved for future generations to freely cherish, not sold on the block to a private collector.
And I dream of having a day, a week, a month of peace in Indianapolis, a day where there will be no Black-on-Black crime and loss of life through strife and violence.
