What would Dr. King be about today?

"The time is always right to do what is right" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrated and commemorated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin King Jr. with the 10th Annual Unity March downtown Montevallo. This was followed by a Unity Program in which the powerful preacher, and professor, Dr. Wilson Fallin Jr. was the guest speaker. Dr. Fallin is one who personally knew Dr. King and spent time with him at Morehouse University and as a Pastor in Birmingham. After describing what Dr. King was like during these personal encounters, he raised an interesting interrogative for us all to ponder, "What would Dr. King be about today?" I was so moved by his words that I would like to share them. By the way I jokingly let Dr. Fallin know that I would be sharing this and that all proceeds would go to him!

First Dr. King would be about eradicating the new racism in the USA. Fallin mentioned that this new racism, which is institutionalized, is often seen in the form of a criminial injustice system. I believe this is what Professor Michelle Alexander was alluding to in her book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” when she described how the war on drugs, during the Reagan era, devasted black America. Today one out of every three black males are involved in this system either in prison, parole, or probation. Alexander argues that these males find themselves falling permanently into 2nd class citizenship when they get out. Today Dr. King would be taking a stand against this unjust system.

Next Dr. King would be about economic justice. Dr. Fallin mentioned that King spent three days at his church one month prior to his death. During this time, he was organizing support on the behalf of those in poverty. In fact, his goal was to address this issue of poverty so that it would receive national attention. Today although we live in the richest nation on Earth, poverty is still a major issue. Dr. King would be about dealing with the economic disparity that exists and bridging the gap between the "haves and have not". He would be about inspiring those with privileges to use them on behalf of the underprivleged.

Finally Dr. King would be about ending wars. Dr. Fallin pointed out that one of King's finest moments was when he took a stand against the Vietnam War. Although many opposed his views on this, includng the president at that time Lyndon Johnson, King stood strong believing it was not right to talk about non-violence in the South and not do the same everywhere. Today Dr. King would be about finding peaceful solutions to end conflicts.

As we reflect upon the life of this visionary leader, and raise issues that he would probably be concerned about, let us remember that these are things that we should also be concerned about. Let's honor his life by making a commitment to find creative solutions for these problems therefore keeping the dream alive!

PEACE!