“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today is the day we celebrate the legacy and life of Reverend/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a great man whose fight for Civil Rights in this country was monumental. As awesome as the celebration of MLK’s life is; we will be bombarded with Dr. King quotes taken completely out of context, to push the agenda of the willingly ignorant trying to tell us how Dr. King would feel about the social injustices happening, today. People who know nothing about Dr. King, outside of the three front and back pages describing a portion of his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, are the people who misquote and know nothing about Dr. King’s feelings in the 1960’s let alone what he would think in 2017.
For those who may be confused on the revolutionary MLK actually was: he would not only be marching with “Black Lives Matter” he would be leading the protests. He would not only support Colin’s protest, he would be working with him to right the wrongs Colin is bringing attention to. He would not be timid in the pride and power of his blackness he would actually say word for word (because he’s said it before), “Yes I’m Black, I’m proud of it, I’m Black and beautiful.” More importantly he would expect us to take care of our fellow-man. In today’s world we have become so selfish in asking questions such as “why should I/we have to pay for others?” or the classic “if you got yourself into the mess by yourself you can get yourself out of it” vs. being a helping hand to those who ask for it. Dr. King would care for everyone and expect everyone to care for the people around them the same way.
I say all of this to paint a very slight picture of the man Martin Luther King Jr. was and not who people want him to be. He was for the oppressed people and always has been. It is our job as the next generation to not only fight for the equality and justice for all, but the importance of his name, and his legacy. Happy belated birthday, Dr. King, and thank you for every sacrifice you made for us. I plan to spread my Black Girl Magic all over this world and teach my daughter to do the same. The fight is only beginning…oh what a fight it will be.
Color photos credit: Shaun King
Brie <3
[01.16.17]
