I remember playing the role of Dr. Martin Luther king Jr for my 4th grade Black History Month play. I stood on stage, in a suit & tie, with a crowd of kids behind me and recited a chunk of the more memorable parts of his historical "I have a Dream" speech. I wasn't nervous, but I was never afraid of public speaking. Maybe I was more proud than afraid, proud of the fact that I was able to represent a man, who I was told, was probably the best black man to walk the face of the earth. (At that time I thought Jesus was white)
I mean, what man do you know, that was never a president and still able to get us a day off from school?...Christopher Columbus...well...what black man? Exactly, there were and are none! Only him. The United States made Martin Luther King the black standard. Shit, the way they promoted him, you would've thought that he was the only person that did anything during the civil rights movement. Forty plus years after his tragic death, you can ask any child going to public school to name the five great black leaders and more than likely you'll hear:
"Martin, Martin, Martin, Martin and Martin." (Dylan voice)
And therein lies my problem. I'll explain position in a bit, but let me get to my Selma experience.
So I'm sitting in the movie theater watching Selma with a thousand thoughts running through my head. For starters, from a cinematic standpoint, the movie was average. Apart from it being your usual "We shall overcome" black movie, it was slow, methodical, enlightening and at some points very intense. David Oyelowo delivered an Oscar worthy performance as MLK. But the movie was far from a classic.
However, for me, this was much more than a movie. I wanted insight into the man behind the legend, before I wrote this blog. I was eager to see how the film depicted Martin Luther King, as well as the message behind his movement. And as I watched, who was supposed to be every black kids hero, being undeified right before my very eyes, I felt great.
For years we were force fed the story of MLK as this saint of a man trying to do what was best for his race. When in truth, what you had was a man who used a philosophical method of non violent resistance, which he himself struggled to maintain, while becoming somewhat of a political puppet in order to achieve change. In the midst of all that, he was a man, with vices and flaws. He was strong and weak at the same time. The man behind the legend was much more admirable. It took an enormous amount of strength to hold steadfast to a belief that renders you defenseless. But from a pragmatic standpoint, it may also make you a fool. And while Dr. King was no fool, his legacy has become more important to the oppressors, than it has been to black people.
I can't and will not take anything away from MLK's tremendous contribution toward the progression of black culture and civil rights in America, however I fear that his approach might have be our very undoing.
Think about it.
Martin Luther King Jr was a pacifist, and while that granted him entry in the political realm to facilitate change, it also made him the subliminal image that the oppressors present to black people of what is acceptable behavior.
The subliminal message implanted, is that in the face of injustice, we are supposed to remain, docile, poised and tolerant to verbal, physical and legislative abuse of the oppressor. And if you're meek and humble long enough, we will give a little piece of what you truly desire. You pump that message to the poor minority children across the country and those who are fortunate enough to make it out of the hood, into the world of affluence as well as a position of influence, are likely adopt that approach.
In short, Keep Calm and be the safe, acceptable nigger.
Now who's to say that a more "militant" approach akin to that of a Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael or Huey Newton wouldn't have facilitated a much greater change in the long run. While access to the political arena may have been limited, the galvanizing(I always wanted to use this word) of our people could have struck fear into the hearts of the oppressors and could have went a long way into how we're treated.
In layman's terms, people would realize that black people are not to be fucked with.
Is that a stretch to think that way? I mean, do they fear or respect your docile ass right now?
A person with a Malcolm X like mentality would not simply make speeches about injustices of the Ferguson and New York non indictments. A March and a protest would not be enough. Taking tear gas to the face while locking arms would not be enough. The old me would've sat on the sidelines waiting for the black anger to fade, as it usually does, but no more.
My question is, why not be a bit more "militant"? Were the founding fathers of the United States of America not militant? Was any successful revolutionary movement sparked by a sense of militant train of thought? The belief to stand up for yourself, defend what is rightfully yours while fighting for what you believe you deserve.
Now, while we live in a world where education, entrepreneurship and wealth are better than they've ever been for blacks historically, the racial undercurrent of the injustices of the poor minority are ever more present. It's foolish to think because you see the wealth of a few folks on TV and a black president, that the race has been won. You really don't know how small 1% is.
Come on now, they're shooting us unarmed, choking us unarmed, beating us, unlawfully arresting us, with no penalty. There's a contrarian reading this going "We do that to each other, so what's the difference?" Ummm...the difference is that when Tyrone kills Jamal, Tyrone gets life, and rightfully so. George goes home and makes love to his wife. This is 40 years from the civil rights movement. How civil are we as a nation with this going on? And now when black people voice their displeasure about are treatment, what is the first thing that's said?
"Let's try to remain calm, let's approach this peacefully. Dr King wouldn't approve of the looting and rioting."
Really? Do you know that? No one truly knows. Who's to say that MLK wouldn't have gotten fed up with the role of the "docile nigga" because of snail paced movement to get a bill passed while citizens died on the front lines of the movement. What if he got hit with one too many bricks and decided to throw one back? Now while I don't condone looting or rioting of our own communities, it is the language of the voiceless.
The idea of a "militant" mindset is not that of a person who's willing to attack, but of someone willing to defend. Of someone who will unify and protect his/her home. So what's wrong with that, especially when every other race and/or culture are willing to do the same thing. Try running a muck in a Jewish community and see how fast you'll regret that decision, before the cops even make it. Would that be considered militant or united?
Unfortunately Dr. King is the damn poster child for black civility in the face of blatant injustice. So much so, that the rest of the leaders of the movement, pre and post MLK are lost in the history books. The educational system rarely speak on the accomplishments of others greats and we clearly don't have enough effective leadership today. Sprinkle Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks and you've done your part for those 28 days in February. Thank you school system. They'll teach about Nelson Mandela before they will introduce you to Malcolm X or James Baldwin. Those were the unacceptable niggas. The dangerous ones. I was lucky enough to have an awesome middle school teacher. She planted the seed that allowed my awareness to flourish. There are plenty of young kids out there with the same seed that needs to be watered, but not enough.
This needs to change, we need to change. He was brave, there were many others that were brave. Why aren't we brave? Push for change and equality. Find a method. And whatever our approach in this new equality movement needs to be from us, not what those above you want it to be. Sometimes things need to be uncomfortable before you can truly be respected.
Take a long look at ourselves, take a look at what our predecessors have done. We as a people have failed to live up to Dr. Kings dream. The progression of race relations would have been further along if he were alive. The progression of how we treat one another has a people has taken even a further step back. We're probably too busy being distracted or afraid to lose what little we've gained. Drugs, prison, poverty, lack of accountability and capitalism have created a division amongst black people bigger than any Jim Crow law. The question is no longer why are we this way, but what can we do to change?
So remember on this day what Martin Luther King Jr stood for. Remember that he stood for equality, for all races. Remember that he stood for change in a non violent way. Remember that through it all, he never wavered in the face of his enemy. He didn't compromise his beliefs and was always willing to extend his hand in unity.
And Remember that they still shot him in his fuckin face anyway.
