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His reply was a little bit worrying. He stated that MLK day
is a black holiday for black people. It is a means of
integration and sense of belonging for people of color.
I was speechless. One would have felt after more than 30
years since the enactment of the holiday that the importance
of the day could have been appreciated by all. That a lot
feel differently is worrying.
Many acknowledge that there is a deep awareness of the need
for racial equality that has not happened as fast or
smoothly as most people could have envisaged. We also need
to respect the humanity in all.
These might reinforce the need for possession and claim of
ownership of MLK by a group. It might also lead to the idea
that this is tokenism to compensate a people. We might
appreciate the relativity with respect to the concept, but
there are certain facts that cannot be disputed.
MLK is a black man, there is no doubt about that, and MLK
Day is the first national holiday to honor a black American.
But it does not make his day a black holiday.
He advocated for an inclusive society; it was not restricted
to people of color. His was a call for a country to honor
all citizens irrespective of cultural or color identity. The
spirit of his action lives in each of us.
The movement he led brought peace, hope and healing to a
country. It was universal. It was a call to uphold the
founding principle of America: “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
which among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.”
We should celebrate a person who makes us whole again. His
color or orientations are immaterial to the principles and
lessons he brought to a nation. It is his life and what he
stand for that we are celebrating.
MLK is not a black holiday: it is not a compensation for
people of color; it is a truly national holiday that should
be celebrated by all irrespective of orientations, creed,
color or race. There is a lot we can learn from the life of
MLK: virtue of courage, tolerance, reconciliation, dignity,
humility, selfless service and truth.
In a time of uncertainty, he brought peace to a troubled
nation. In the aftermath of the election and inauguration,
this is a time for the nation to listen to MLK as he
advocates: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light
can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do
that.”
The healing from the recent divisive election can begin when
we listen to MLK. He once said we need to make a decision if
we “will walk in the light of creative altruism or the
darkness of destructive selfishness.”
Where we stand in this respect will make a lot of
difference. We should take the stand of light shining on a
path of wholeness after the bitterness of the 2016
elections.
I attended the MLK events at Savage Arena in 2016 and 2017,
and most of the keynote speakers were people of color. The
attendance seemed to have been more than 70 percent people
of color. This situation reinforces the concept that certain
people take MLK day more serious than others.
Maybe this is correct; possibly it is a little oversight in
the planning. I enjoyed that last celebration, there was a
dance performance by people of color and there was an
orchestra performance by predominately white youth.
I was wondering if an event can be planned that is truly
national and integrated. Can young people, irrespective of
ethnic or race, come together and plan an event together? It
is good to perform separately, but it’s better if they work
together and perform jointly.
The success of the civil right movement was based on all
working to make it a success. It was not the black group
working separately, the white group working separately; no,
it was collective and complementary. I feel this is the
spirit lacking in our preparations for MLK day.
We take the easy route of inviting diverse groups to
participate and perform. The difficulty is in having a
harmonious group working together to perform together. I
believe that is the key to achieving the dream of MLK. The
dream where we work together in a common purpose for the
good of the community.
As we plan for the MLK 2018, let us be more integrated with
our approach. Let groups work together to produce a common
or joint performance instead of separate performances. Let
all embrace the life and work of MLK!
Chris Lebron, writing in the New York Time opinion
page to mark MLK in 2015, stated: “When you celebrate Dr.
King, what are you cheering? Do you cheer the greatness of a
man who fully knew his journey’s destination was insecure?
The greatness of a man who paid the ultimate price so that
my son could vote and sit in class alongside your children?
If so, I am happy to join you. Do you celebrate his struggle
as a resounding success that ushered in a new age of race
relations? Do you intend to show appreciation for the notion
that he helped us move past a difficult moment in American
history? If so, then I cannot join you. And I fear that I
observe the tendency to celebrate not so much the man but
the hope that claiming him for all Americans exculpates us
from the sins of inhumanity that is racial marginalization.”
It is a powerful statement which reflects the enormous work
that needs to be done. It is a call for reflection on the
state of the nation. I would like to take a different
perspective on the matter, I would like to see and believe
that we need to be vigilant and not rest on our oars that
all is well.
MLK should be a day of reflection on the journey and the
contribution of MLK. We all have a role to play in the
transformation of society. We will not have the society we
deserve if we feel that the work has been accomplished.
However, we cannot have the society we desire if we fail to
acknowledge the work done in the past.
We need to build on the work and life of MLK. It is the
beginning. In his words: "If you can't fly then run, if you
can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but
whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
The work of transforming our society is great, it needs
everybody, let all contribute, there is no time to sit on
the fence. The task is huge, all hands must be on deck. We
can only accomplish this when we are open and reflective as
MLK said: "We must develop and maintain the capacity to
forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid
of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us
and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we
are less prone to hate our enemies."
Both the election and inauguration have come and gone: now
is the time for us to rebuild our lives and country. It is a
task for all irrespective of ethnic or party affiliation
like MLK lets live our dream!!!
Colins Imoh is a doctoral scholar at the Department of
Educational Foundations & Leadership at the University of
Toledo. He can be reached on
imohcolins@gmail.com. His area of interest is
multicultural movement, diversity and peace. He believes
that if people work together in solidarity, there will be a
more peaceful world.
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