In Lieu of MLK Day 2008

This past Monday marked the celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who gave of himself unselfishly. He devoted his life to the fight for civil rights and equality for all. He led a movement that forever changed American society (and the world). His is a legacy that left an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of millions. His current depiction however, seems to have many people believing the "I Have a Dream" speech is the only reason why we honor him.

As many leaders before and after him, King was a complex man. People seem to have forgotten, or they simply don't know, just how much he (and many other civil rights activists) did for us. How hard the battle was. How in the face of adversity he remained steadfast. He was a man with a mission - a calling if you will. He was committed to the cause. Determined to do all that was necessary to bring about change in a society that was plagued (and still is) with social ills. My words here, I admit, even fail to do King justice. But it pains me to see his life and his contributions being whittled down to the "I Have a Dream" speech.

If King were alive, I do wonder what his thoughts would be about our society today. In many ways it seems as if we've turned into what he feared the most - a divided society. The haves and the have-nots. The rich and the poor. The well-educated and the poorly-educated. White and Black. Or White and Everybody Else. The very things he was fighting against are the things that separate us. With all this talk about "change" - let's see which of the current presidential candidates will actually stop talking about it and be about it. Martin Luther King, along with many other activists and leaders of his day, set the tone. If you're going to name drop and throw out the "change rhetoric" then you need back it up with action. Only time will tell if any of the candidates (and any us) truly see the light.

Past, Present & Future

I often wonder if our ancestors are pleased
With our progress
Looking down on us – would they hold their heads
High in praise or hold them down
In shame?
Would that feel that everything they fought for
Was in vain?
Would they feel we are living up to the legacy they’ve left behind?
It’s a valid question
Considering the disparities
Within our community
There’s a disconnect between
Generations and classes
Between faith and moral values
Between the revolutionary and the righteous
Between traditional and unconventional
Between family and community
Sometimes it seems like we are ghosts
Of what we were before
The shades of greatness remain
But the people have yet to figure out
What or how to use it
All is not lost yet all is not
Fully realized

And I hope that our ancestors have not
Given up on us
The way we have given up on
Each other
I hope they believe that we
All can come together to believe
And dream and fight to win
Again
Because it’s there
It never left
We were born to survive
In even the bleakest situations
There’s still time
To mobilize
There’s still hope and faith
That we can get it together
And bring everyone to the same
Place again
We just can’t forget about
What was
We can’t forget about who fought the many battles and
Won
We can’t forget about our
Ancestors
We must think of them
Because they are why
We are here
And why we must go on

~ BuddahDesmond

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