Give Thanks For Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, one of two national holidays in the United States named after a particular person and rightly so. Since the Civil Rights era the face of America has literally changed in order to represent its entire people, and the voice of African-Americans and other "minorities" have become stronger and stronger. Everyone should celebrate this day, black, white, brown… because all have been affected. We must never forget the messages of Dr. King and their manifestation in his activism. Foremost, Martin Luther King was speaking on behalf of black Americans, but ultimately his message was a universal Truth, serving all mankind and breaking down barriers from all angles. Yes, not only did he speak up and refuse to accept the system of things, but he took action… even more so, non-violet action. He and other Civil Rights leaders, and thousands of their followers broke the subhuman segregation laws, sometimes protesting by their mere unwelcome presence… scalding hot coffee poured on their heads just for sitting in a diner, sprayed with fire hoses in the streets. This is no mythology, this is reality. For many of us it is hard to imagine, we learn about it in school, maybe even heard about it from the elders themselves… but we did not experience it, it sounds so foreign to us. That feeling of detachment will become more common as time goes on, and taking our multicultural society for granted is more inevitable. However, we cannot forget the lessons learned, the sacrifices made or forget to give thanks for the changes that took place… not only in America, but as an example to the human race.

Historically, the way things changed so drastically in our country after the Civil Rights movement is almost an anomaly, considering that the streets did not become soaked in blood. A downpressed people, a people still being lynched and burned and terrorized because of the color of their skin in the 20th century, had every reason to take up arms and set out to destroy anyone and anything that they perceived as their enemy after years of hatred. It has happened all the time in history, violent revolutions based on ethnicity or class, people tired of being mistreated… and in it's a wake a vicious cycle of hatred and violence, back and forth, back and forth… returning evil for evil. Yet somehow, in America… this did not happen, not on a large scale, surely it was an act of God. Through protest, through activism, through rejecting unfair laws and seeking equality and justice and racial pride… a great change took place and challenged the conscience of every soul. It was done righteously, it was done with love, and it was done with reverence and the grace of the Most High… and because it was signed and sealed… nobody can refute it. Those who do, sound foolish to the ears.

Basic human rights, basic life. Yes it is a blessing, and despite all the problems with race in America that still continue to this very day, we can all be thankful that people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and those before him and after him had the courage and strength to fight for the struggle and do it with guidance and not violence, they set an example and they are our teachers. However, it is a big mistake to think that just because Dr. King has a holiday, and that you may have friends, family, work with or attend school with people of a different color that the struggle is over… no not at all. The work is not done, in fact it will never be done, not as long as there is prejudice, racism, injustice, intolerance, there will always be work to do… no matter how subtle, even if it is dealing with one's own heart. It is probably the ultimate test in life, to love one another, respect life, respect differences. Great men and women in history, almost always having been victims or martyrs, have achieved this level and brought it forth and shared it with humanity… but their spirit can only live on in the minds and hearts of their "students", the ones who have learned from them, and who follow them in action. Martin Luther King, Jr. is no longer in the flesh, but who shares his spirit? Who today is bold enough, strong enough, loving enough? Who today will correct wrong-thinking amongst their peers, stop hatred, and speak up when something is not right? Not just thinking about it… but doing. As long as we do not give thanks and recognize our duty to carry the same banner Dr. King did, then he will just be another dead hero, another name on a boulevard where another ghetto youth is shot down by his own brother. All of us, no matter where we come from, or who we are, must give life to Martin Luther King, Jr. and every messenger like him, for that breath of life is surely the spirit of God and the very substance of our being. Forgetting this, being complacent or even unappreciative will destroy the works of those who lived and died for Truth. Think about it, one and all… Bless Up! Give thanks to the martyrs, give thanks for the messengers, give thanks for the true leaders of the human race! JAH!... Rastafari!

JAHsh