Reading MLK always reminds me about the history of the United States, as well as the world, and how we have dealt with civil injustices. One of the problems learning history is how segregated we feel from it. Hearing dates like 1776 (when the US was founded) or 1865 (when the 13th amendment [supposedly] abolished slavery) make us think that these events were so long ago that they might as well be fiction. We don't think about how they happened, what the world looked like when they happened, and what impact they have on us today.
However, reading MLK is different. The height of the civil rights movement took place throughout the 1960's. Most of our grand-parents can recall a time when the theaters, schools, and water fountains were separated between "white" and "colored". Our grandparents may also remember the concentration of Japanese men and women in camps during WWII, whereby out parents may remember Nixon's country wide "hunt for communism".
What makes this even more tragic is how some of these trends continue into the modern day. We may have laws that require fair employment throughout the country, but statistics show that there is still a higher concentration of White Men in higher paying jobs than women and minorities (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). Higher class neighborhoods are typically populated by White families, whereas the areas of poverty more closely resemble the "melting pot" that the USA so proudly proclaims that it is. African-American English is also regarded as "broken English" or a sign of lesser intelligence. A person doesn't have to look far to see that racism, discrimination, and other prejudices still permeate in our society today.
Even more surprising is the other areas where discrimination still thrives. The past two decades have been especially cruel on the Muslim and LGBTAQ communities. The more we remember how horrible the injustices were 200 years, ago, the more we must remember how horrible the injustices remain today. Although the legal system has made some amazing (albeit incredibly slow) strides to protect people who face discrimination, the psychological battle still has to be fought. Learning to be more accepting of everyone's race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and gender identification is quintessential if we are to continue the fight against discrimination and injustice. Teaching ourselves to think of each other as equals will also help our children and future generations to do the same and more. By doing this, we can hope to build a greater country, and a more accepting and beautiful world overall.
http://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/employment/jobpat-eeo1/2012/index.cfm#select_label
I complete agree, feeling detached from history seems to resonate with many individuals. However, when it comes to MLK it seems as if that disconnect is no longer present. I feel as though MLK was the bridge in connecting that gap, as well as many other history makers.
ReplyDeleteTrue, here's the pressing issue: While MLK was a powerful leader to stand behind in the 60's, the present days remains devoid of any prominent speaker. While you can make claims that Pres. Obama is one such voice, we still lack a someone who is solely devoted to LGBTAQ, Religious, or financial rights. While we do have many groups across the country independently working towards improvement in these fields, we still have many people (including facets of the media) who misunderstand, misrepresent, and otherwise resist the work of these groups. Overall, MLK was a fantastic leader for the 20th century, the 21st century remains in need of leaders and followers to help solve the problems that we still face today.
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