interesting to see if he were alive today, what are some of the things that King like and what
are things that he would not like at all.
Things that King would have liked:
1. First African American President
King would have been ecstatic to see a black man as the commander in chief, especially of
what African Americans have endured in the history of the United State (slavery, Jim Crow, horrible acts of violence ) and continue to go through to this day. However, he would dismissed the idea of a "post racial America." As long as bigotry, hatred, discrimination, ignorance, prejudice, intolerance, stereotyping and the not fair and balance treatment of minorities (African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans,those of Pacific Islander decent) still continues here in 2011 a "post racial"America will NEVER happen.
2. Minorities as elected political officials
King believed in mobilizing people in order to fight for a cause along with the idea of
participating in the political process. Over the last forty years, minorities not only engage
in voting but also became elected officials in all phases of politics (Mayor, Senator, Governor,
City council, etc.) Also, minorities has made some moves working in the higher levels of
government, too in the past 20 years, include Secretary of State (Colin Powell, Condoleezza
Rice) Secretary of Labor (Linda Solis); Attorney General (Eric Holder); Joint Chief of Staff
(Powell); Surgeon General (Dr. Jocelyn Edlers and Dr. David Satcher); Supreme Court (Justice Clarence Thomas); and the founding of the Congressional Black Caucus. Now, you only hope
that younger minorities will pick up the torch and continue to participate and eventually have
a career in politics. The turnout for the 2008 presidential campaign was a good indication, but the lack of participation in the 2010 mid term election was not a good sign. We shall see where it goes from here.
3. Racial groups working and socializing together
King had a vision of people of different races and cultures getting together without conflict and he would have been happy seeing this going on at various places such as work, school, neighborhoods, social functions and sporting events. However, he would not like the idea that some people may choose to segregate theme selves and not learn more about another person's culture. In my opinion, by isolating yourself from everyone, you will live a sad life because you will never know how much similarities you might have with someone of another race or ethnicity.
4. Minorities doing well in education
King would have been pleased to see minorities doing well in education, not only graduating from high school but also have a serious interest in higher education (earning a Bachelor's Masters and/or Doctoral degree.) However, he would have been disappointed to hear that certain minority high school students can only read at grade school level and that they are likely to drop out of school well before graduation. The reason why students should say in school is that with a good education they can create the life they always wanted. Students that drop out of school early are more likely to get involved in drugs and crime and besides, who really want to have a life like that?
5. Minorities doing well in sports and entertainment
While King would applaud the success of athletes and entertainers both professionally and on the business side, he would probably encourage them to speak out about social issues. While there are athletes and entertainers would are doing that right now, there are others out there who's only interested in the money aspect and that's about it. That's fine and all, but if you have the platform to speak, along with the fact that your fans follow your every word, use the stage to talk about issues that affect you personally.Things that King would not like
1. The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
King was a man of peace and believed that nonviolence was the way to go to solve any
problem. On April 4, 1967 King spoke out against the Vietnam War. If you listen to that
speech (check it out on Youtube) just remove the words "Saigon" and "Vietnam" and
replace it with "Baghdad" and "Kabul"because you can use that speech to describe what
is going on in both Iraq and Afghanistan right now.
2. Inequalities among women and minorities
Women and minorities have come a long way over the last 40 years. However, everything is
not equal for all people. For example, for every dollar a man makes, a woman is paid $.80 and
for minorities, it's less than that. The feeling is this: if everyone has the same level of education and similar qualifications for the job, then everyone should have equal pay for equal work. Also, there are inequalities when it comes to health care, education, housing, the judicial system as well. King wanted everyone to be treated equally, regardless of their gender, race or ethnicity and it's too bad in 2011 that people are still treated like this.
3. The violence in the US
King would be disappointed to see how violent this country has become. Cities in the United States has been affected by the number of gangs along with the fact that people can get
access to drugs and guns anywhere at anytime. Those three elements can create a violent
environment and it can get to the point where, depending where you live at, that you can't
even walk in your own neighborhood without someone might try to do something to you.
Also, it's sad to see and understand how can people can commit such violent act and doesn't feel any remorse about it. Whether it's the senseless daily violence taking place in the streets and communities in America or the recent shocking tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, people had this shoot first and don't care about the other person mentality and it's just insane. If you have
a beef with another person, fine, but don't pick a gun to solve the problem because it will make the situation worse that it really is.
4. Hatred spread online
The Internet is great because it allows people to connect with each other along with
the chance to meet new friends and talk about anything on their mind. However, if
the issue is about race, the message boards online can really show the ugly side of people. Whatever it's about a highly debated issue (the immigration bill in Arizona) or a prominent news story (remember Bethany Storro, the Vancouver woman who last year made up the hoax that an African American woman threw acid in her face) people will go online and use racial slurs and comments to express themselves. They can hide behind a computer screen and submit their hate filled comments without getting themselves in trouble. Also, online is a target for hate groups to not only spread their own hatred but also recruit new members to their organization.
They say that they are protected by the Freedom of Speech Amendment. Yes, you can say and do anything that you want, but use to spread peace and goodwill, not hate.
5. Poverty in the US and the world
When King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, he was there for
the Poor People's Campaign, a campaign designed to help out poverty stricken citizens by talking about their plight and come with ways to solve their problem ( the proposed idea was to provide housing, full employment and the promise to have annual income for those who were down and out.) Today, he would have been depressed to see so many people either unemployed; living at or below the poverty line; homeless; along with looking at the long line of folks just waiting for food at each food bank across the United States.
6. Certain politicians, talk show hosts and people in general taking his words, twisting them
and use it to their advantage.
I have two words for those folks out there who engage in this type of behavior: "STOP IT!"
King said in his 1963 "I Have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to judge everyone by "content of their character and not by the content of skin." Unfortunately, they are some people out there who want to take that part of the speech and use it to rail against Affirmative Action and to back up the idea of reverse discrimination policies. I'll tell you right now, there is NO WAY King would stand by and let people do this to any of his speeches.
Conclusion
While writing this article, obviously I have no idea what Dr. King would do or even think about when it comes to issues that affect all of us in today's world. But I gave it a chance and see what happened if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today in 2011, what would he say and what would he do?
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