A Post 2020 Dr. King Day

A quick note for those who will be running to quote Dr. Martin Luther King tomorrow on his holiday. This is my friendly reminder to tread lightly when quoting his words. Especially if your actions do not align with Dr. Kings...

He is not a martyr for your passive-aggressive allyship or some timey praise of the one Black historical point of reference you can remember because he and Rosa were all you were taught in school.

He is a real-life person who was fighting against the exact things you so sharply turned your nose up to just last summer.

And to say he would be disappointed with how far we haven't come is likely an understatement.

Do yourself a favor and read other speeches and writings by him instead of using the "I Have A Dream Speech" as some manifesto when you've done nothing in doing your part to help his dream come to fruition other than post a black box. Those words were not about a colorless world, but a world in which all of our colors found space to exist together, respectively.

This is not to be a critic, but rather to serve as a reminder that the "Black Lives Matter Movement " that so many of you became privy to last year, is not new. The structures and systems that our country was built on, have been hurting people for a very long time.

This is why there is still so much work to do.

Also remember, as you begin to part your lips about him doing things peacefully, they still shot him dead.

So do me a favor, and do some deeper researching ok Dr. King, his teaching, his story, his writing, and his legacy. But then read about the climate of the nation at the time, and tell me what exactly we are making great, again?

And please do not take this the wrong way, because Dr. King is Black History and American History. Read. That. Again.

I believe with every ounce of my being that our historical figures should be remembered with the utmost respect, and the best way we can do that is to honest about where we've been and where we are...

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

- George Santayana

Rest peacefully Dr. King, I hope one day we can finally make you proud.