Once upon a time, America had a leader with an inclusive vision for our future. He was not a President. Rather, as a simple citizen, Martin Luther King, Jr. campaigned for bringing black people into our society on an equal footing with the descendants of our founding fathers and the millions of people who immigrated here from Europe.
Despite the protections of our Constitution, the United States had found ways to keep black people down, de jure segregation primarily in the south, and de facto segregation everywhere else. When Jim Crow laws were exposed via videos of sit-ins, voter registration drives, and strategies such as the Memphis bus boycott, we could no longer deny the reality that we were not a nation with equal protection of our laws and equal opportunity for all. We were shamed into taking action to remedy the obvious injustices we saw on TV screens in living rooms across the country.
Slowly, we in the north accepted that policies such as red-lining accomplished the same work in the northern cities that Jim Crow laws did in the south. They kept black people out of our line of sight, “in their place,” so to speak. Yes, they could sit anywhere on our buses – as long as they agreed to exit into segregated neighborhoods, stay out of our unions, and not ask for things that would expose our complicity in their lower status. Slowly, very slowly, these policies began to change also as activists shifted from their work in the south and broadened their work to address issues nationwide.
It’s important to remember that King did not act alone. Rosa Parks did not spontaneously decide to remain in her seat. Black people had been meeting and talking and planning for many years to develop strategies to bring about change. King was an amazing leader, the key word being leader. His ability to articulate a positive future enabled white people to listen and work with him. But there were many other local leaders involved in planning the non-violent actions that elicited the brutal reactions that were impossible to ignore. By anticipating the reactions that exposed the true status of black Americans, these local leaders could plan legal strategies and support for those who were jailed and/or attacked for their actions.
Rosa Parks was a hero of mine for many years before I learned about all the planning that preceded her refusal to move to the back of the bus. I learned that another woman with a more checkered history was not supported by those planning Park’s moment of fame. The civil rights leaders decided they needed a woman who could not be criticized for any reason other than her decision to keep her seat in the front of the bus. You can agree or disagree with that position, but we often face the same consideration today as we continue the work for equal opportunity for all.
So much has been said in recent years about the unfinished work for equality. Are all disparities the result of racism? Some insist they are; others argue that equal outcomes cannot be achieved, that many factors contribute to disparities. Would MLK have favored equality of outcomes? I doubt it, and his name is not often used in current campaigns that seek to erase disparities. Still, I doubt that he would be silent if he were alive today. There is always work to be done. Biases are likely with us forever. We honor King on his birthday to remind us that we always need to be vigilant in order to keep our biases in check.
So: Happy Birthday, Dr. King, and thank you, thank you, thank you for your vision, your powerful words, and your work to bring that vision to reality.
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