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| Marching through Detroit, 1963. Photo from http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Dr_-Martin-Luther-King-Jr_-leading-freedom-march-in-Detroit-1963-smaller.jpg |
Today marks the 46th year of Dr.
Martin Luther King’s assassination, April 4th, 1968. Many events have transpired since that
bullet rang out just a short time ago that requires an analysis of our current
situation. Where does one start to
understand the roots of the current crisis unless we compare and contrast what
was then and what is now.
The attempts on Dr. King’s life are
chronicled. His pursuit of equal
access throughout the South was highlighted by his relentless fight to stop the
violence against Blacks in communities, on the farms, in schools, at work, and
in all phases of everyday life. In
the grip of the Vietnam War, the country was torn by so many events, many of
them aired on nightly national television. Our existences were filled with bombings, attack dogs,
demonstrations, and terrible violence with no end in sight. Were those the “good old days”?
As we pause to remember the
significance of this day, the new world reality has shaken us to our core. President George W. Bush, V.P. Dick Cheney,
and the Koch Brothers tricked the country into a war that was based on an
absolute lie. The World Trade
Center bombings were attributed to Iraq and their allies, and after several
months, said intelligence was proven to be untrue. The impact of such an outrageous series of events that
touched the lives of countless Iraqis and Americans injured or killed because
of this gross un-truth has been mostly excluded from the pages of history…but
it happened.
So, over a 46 year span of time,
our consciousness includes both ends of this spectrum. Dr. King was murdered because he wanted
peace, freedom and equality for all.
On April 4, 2014, we still can’t find peace, freedom for all is
questionable, and we are still reeling from the abuse of the 1% who will not
tolerate economic equality. How is
corporate America working out for us, these days? Miss you, Dr. King.
Maureen D. Taylor
State
Chairperson – MI Welfare Rights Org.
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