Upon the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation & the 50th anniversary of Medger Evers death, as well as Dr. King's "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial during the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" we modern days had a celebration within these celebrations - including the federal holiday to celebrate the birthday of Dr. King & upon the re-election of the first president of color and his second inauguration where a colleague was sandbagged by his legislature and an attempt to redistrict his political position was forged. The widow of Mr. Evers spoke - and the president himself used the bibles of Lincoln & King to be sworn in some people (Cornel West!) took exception to the use of Dr. King's bible by the president for political reasons (that if you want to know you will have to track down his rant on Tavis Smiley's "Vision for a New America: A Future without Poverty" I believe it aired the Friday before the inauguration) you see within our own "WE" have those who believe that this fight and the experiences of others have levels of acceptability or struggle etc. not what I wish to talk about though - Harry Belefonte (at the 44th NAACP Awards) recently spoke regarding the present muteness of people who have endured the most vile of the underbelly of humanity, who had to fight for the very freedom which this republic had already claimed to have given and which I seem to have heard & witnessed over the summer - STILL DOES NOT APPLY WITHOUT FURTHER ACQUIESCENCE!
I have seen the black & white footage of my past and my heart has bleed for ALL involved, yet it hurts more today as I have to accept the realization that 150 years ago when Lincoln upon the cusp was prepared to give compromise to the Southern States of 40 more years of Slavery for peace and 50 years ago when dogs, hoses, clubs and hate were used upon the very FREE people of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA who endured JIM CROW for the yoke of chains, which technically were only unshackled in 1940's after the dismantling of PEONAGE! Peonage was a little amendment within the Emancipation Proclamation that allowed for slavery - "if duly convicted of a crime" and with the element that went to war to keep slaves - I'm sure you can imagine what passed for crimes & duly convicted - thus slavery reigned for many a moon past Lincoln's lofty gift of FREEDOM!
Though, I do not allow others to determine my state of mind these milestones of freedom should be something "WE" all are proud of yet they today reflect the FACTS that Free at last is not so FREE!
When Congress can stand as they did in days of old with their vitriol hatred and speak the language of the Klan and purport to do their present day bidding & NO ONE SAYS - YOU ARE FIRED, SANCTIONED OR SOMETHING! When people under the guise of free speech are HANGING DOLLS IN BLACK FACED EFFIGY (along with other things) in open forum and NO ONE SAYS EVEN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THE HATEFUL & THREATENING NATURE OF SAID ACTIONS ARE CRIMES! When "Put the White back in the White House" T-Shirts are clear as crystal along with the lynch mob mentality including the House of Representatives re: Susan Rice, the President & those citizens they deem dependant because their ancestors saw them as such - even though they were totting, lifting, pounding and sweating the infrastructure of this country into existence for little to no pay or consideration of a CONSTITUTIONAL NATURE! Or the image of the indigenous peoples who's ghost hosted the first Thanksgiving for those who would have otherwise died without their generosity only to have that charity march them, marginalize them, and handed them small pox laden blankets!
I agree that the agenda of Dr. King prior to his murder/assassination for a March on Washington against POVERTY is timely Tavis as OUR duplicitous freedom keepers have made that RELEVANT! I agree that some Mr. OReilly (that is a name of Italian origin - isn't it who also endured prejudice in the new world) do and have always considered themselves ABOVE OTHERS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL BILLING! I agree that there are those who use these tactics and tenants to bully others through their BIGOTED HATRED AND BIASES! I understand that people who use satire (Todd Kincannon) as a guise for their true feelings because they do not REALLY have the courage or convictions they claim if they are not in the company of bullies in white, conservativeness, evangelically - TP'd together. Of late I understand that pretense is more important than integrity, honesty or dignity for ALL!
What, I truly understand is that Dr. King's Dream is still a dream Melissa Harris Perry & the FIGHT FOR FREEDOM is still very much OUR fight and although Dr. King understood & lived the understanding that it involves ALL - there will always apparently be a special FIGHT for the children of those who 150 years ago were told they were free only to find out they were NOT - who had to endure another 77 years of inequality on top of their supposed liberation; who lived, worked & died in the most demoralizing world as they waited for equality - until a little lady had enough & chose to sit WHERE EVER SHE WANTED TO and a FREEDOM MOVEMENT was born and who upon the campaign, re-election & second inauguration of the FIRST PRESIDENT OF COLOR must ACCEPT that WE have not reached the Promised Land (an only they can afford or have need to PRETEND "WE" have) even with all that WE have endured - WE still live in CONSTITUTIONAL limbo in AMERICA - Milestones just on the SURFACE OF FREEDOM!
So WE must be ever vigilant in upholding the tenants of this FREE LAND for which those who call themselves "True" ancestors - who CAN'T or WILL NOT! Just in case what I said needs further prove that the Dream is still just a dream though worth fighting for:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVON MARTIN
