Sunday, January 15, 2006

1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back

Unsurprisingly, a recent poll on the progess of race relations in the US was divided upon racial lines. By and large, white Americans felt significant progress had been made, while black Americans weren't as enthusiastic. White America believes the goal has been realized; black America thinks we have a good ways to go.

While there is no question improvements in the black-white relationship have been reached, one of the problems inherent in such a poll is that it doesn't consider the overall racial question. Even IF we had finally bridged the gap in black-white relations, I believe we have still taken several steps backward in the question of how we treat all racial and/or ethnic groups.

While blacks have borne the brunt of bigotry, discrimination and vigilantism over the past 250 years (though our American Indian brothers and sisters would argue that point), several other groups have had to endure much as well. Today, the primary focus of fundamentalists and white supremacy groups are Latinos and anyone who looks Arabic.

Does anyone really believe that, if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive today, he would believe we had made great strides in race relations while private armies patrol our southern borders and fundamentalist pundits rally their supporters to push for bans of social and educational services for immigrant workers?

Does anyone truly believe that Dr. King would not be appalled at the way the Islamic faith has been ridiculed and denounced? By the way people with Arabic names have been tortured, discriminated against and murdered?

Does anyone believe that King would be in favor of this so-called war against "terror" and of the US attacks against the nations of Afghanistan & Iraq?
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral.

It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.

It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than to win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert.

Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monlogue rather than dialogue.

Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. (emphasis added) Stride Toward Freedom, MLK, 1958.
If you plan to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day, do it in a way that celebrates the life of this great figure. Openly oppose the war in Iraq. Treat everyone you meet -- regardless of their skin color or ethnicity or religion -- the way you would want them to treat you.

Follow in King's footsteps. Become the new Martin Luther King of this generation.

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