by George Pinto, San Francisco Bay Area
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The Dr. Martin Luther King national holiday will be celebrated this year on January 17, a day to remember an American icon whose fight for civil rights and equality paved the way for people around the world to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities they have today. There is a clear connection between the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s and the issues which continue to affect us today. A current look around the world and the issues the civil rights movement fought for (and many died for) still unfortunately endure: voting rights, income inequality/poverty/hunger, militarism/war, dehumanization of people and the rights and dignity for all people, climate justice, etc.
Had Dr. King been alive today, he would have turned 93 on January 15. A few of his contemporaries are still alive and continue the good fight, bridging the civil rights movement to the struggles today. Ambassador Andrew Young (UN Ambassador under President Carter and former Mayor of Atlanta) will turn 90 next month. Dr. Clarence B. Jones just turned 91 on January 8 and was Dr. King’s lawyer and close confidant. Dr. Jones wrote the first draft of the ”I have a Dream” speech, represented Dr. King in legal matters, and was one the key negotiators with then New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the Attica prison riot (1971) among many other achievements.
Although a generation and more separate us in age, I had the rare honor and privilege to co-host my friend, Dr. Clarence Jones’ 91st birthday celebration last week. To hear Ambassador Andrew Young and many other civil rights luminaries speak as they continue to battle on for human rights, was an inspiring example for all of us to carry the torch in our own way, to the best of our ability. Dr. Jones reminded us of the words of Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will” and “if there is no struggle, there is no progress”. Singer Harry Belafonte, 94, whose work in civil rights is well documented could unfortunately not join in the birthday celebration as he is indisposed but Dr. Jones fondly remembered his friend as someone who was always there for Dr. King. Actor Sidney Poitier had passed away the previous day and Dr. Jones recalled his friend’s brave pioneering work, not just in the movies but on various social justice fronts.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote “The opposite of good is not evil; the opposite of good is indifference. In a free society where terrible wrongs exist, some are guilty, but all are responsible.” On this national holiday we have to remember the social injustices we face, and do something. Standing idly by is not an option, it is akin to evil. Lost in cultural distractions, social media, cellphones, TV, and mindless entertainment is no substitute for a life of thoughtful reflection and involvement in the justice issues of our times.
Fortunately, many have done something, connecting the non-violent movement with advocacy for peace and justice. The Joseph Nak Vaz Institute (Berkeley, California, https://josephnaikvaz.org/) honors the memory of Saint Joseph Vaz, and reminds us to celebrate the struggle for freedom of religion and worship that St. Joseph Vaz led in Sri Lanka and the struggle for racial equality and justice led by Dr. King. Professor Emeritus Sudarshan Kapoor (Fresno, California) connects the work of Gandhi and Dr. King, promoting non-violent social justice. The Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice (San Francisco, California) promotes the work of Dr. King and other activists, see short video on Dr. King at https://www.usfca.edu/institute-nonviolence-social-justice And there are many others.
Dr. King was not a saint or perfect. Who is? But the dream is worth fighting for.
Thank you Dr. King. You live on. Forever.