On this date (Jan 17, 2011) most of America celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s sad that I still have to say “most of America” instead of saying “ALL of America”, but we do live in an imperfect world…
For the last couple of days, I’ve seen a lot of Facebook comments and Tweets that have quoted him or otherwise referred to him – or at least mentioned the “one man come in the name of love” line from that U2 song. I do feel a kind of internal warmth when I see the impact that this man has had on the people around me. Certainly the Civil Rights Movement was about more than just MLK – there were a lot of people who contributed to the positive societal changes that were brought about during and since that time – but there is no doubt that he was a key player whose life made major waves that continue to ripple today.
I do worry, however, that many of us have grown complacent in recent years regarding the unity of humanity. While we as a nation have made great strides toward realizing Dr. King’s famous dream, we haven’t gone nearly far enough. Some in the public sphere have coined the absolutely ludicrous term “post-racial” as a societal descriptor. Of course, those who use it are either being ironic, sarcastic, dishonest, or dumber than a bag of hammers.
Far from any kind of post-racial utopia, we are still caught up in a pervasive and destructive “Us vs Them” mentality. If anything, I think it might be getting worse. Our current economic environment has made the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” larger than ever – and as Dr. King pointed out, “…it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.” We are still caught up in a Malthusian zero-sum haze of ignorance that leads us to cling ever more fiercely to “what’s mine”… and we’re ever more willing to overlook the suffering of those who fit in the category of Other.
Folks from my faith tradition used to sing a song with these lyrics:
“Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight…”
Wouldn’t it be great if these words were more than just lyrics? Wouldn’t it be amazing if more and more people lived as though they believed it?
Part of me thinks that it would be truly magnificent if we could have another Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – another person to embody the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. Of course, the other part of me is sad that he or she would just as likely be deported, shot, or taken to Gitmo.
Fortunately, it’s never too late. “Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Let’s make sure that we do, too.