What You Should Remember on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for the tagline snippet of his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 (including the Edmund Pettus Bridge), and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday of January annually. There are a few things we should remember about MLK Jr., especially when people and organizations white-wash his life's work as if the United States of America has come closer to true equality, not just for the proletariat, but especially for Black Americans.
Dr. King Planned to March to Congress for Black Americans' Reparations
The fight for reparations for Black Americans is not new and didn't start with the American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) community or ADOS Foundation. MLK Jr. is one of many Blacks throughout US history to bring awareness to the necessity for economic redress from the effects of US slavery.
MLK Jr's Dream Had Turned into a Nightmare
Eleven (11) months before his death, he stated in an interview that, regarding the change from racial segregation to integration as we know it today:
"My dream has since turned into a nightmare."
Minister King Was Assassinated Years after Malcolm X
Malcolm X was assassinated in Manhattan, New York City (NYC) on February 21, 1965. This was three years prior to King being shot from the rooftop of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
H. Rap Brown Wrote About the Black Experience after Reverend King's Death
Imam Jamil Al-Amin, better known as revolutionary militant H. Rap Brown, wrote Die Nigger Die in 1969, one year after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The book goes into vivid detail about African Americans' growing impatience with Brother King's peaceful protests, how Blacks reacted to King's death, and grassroots movements with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee Chairman (SNCC) from Howard University (HU), which preceded the Black Panther Party (BPP). The rarely discussed autobiography does great job at capturing the Black experience in the 1960s. Brother Rap also dropped a few quotes from Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong regarding revolution.
Tags: black-community
