Every year, I write about Martin Luther King Jr. on his day of recognition. I personally worry that the day has become a lot like President's Day. A day off for kids, great sales on cars and a lot of gestures that just scratch the surface of acknowledging his message. Dr. King saw a world of possibilities while living in a world full of inequities. From segregation to the unspoken rules of the South, Dr. King was able to recognize the global impact of power structures. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi as he was challenging the British colonization of India using passive resistance. That message of civil disobedience would inspire Dr. King. More importantly, Dr. King inspired our citizens to stand up to oppression, and change the values of a society that thought the color of your skin meant that you were inferior.
Tough questions seem to linger since then. Have we made gains since the March on Selma? Absolutely, however we still live in a nation of changing priorities. Inequalities can be found everywhere in our nation. Here are some examples: Food inequality for the poor is a large problem. Many of our poorest citizens live in "Food Deserts." They are denied access to quality food and live off processed foods sold in low quality convenience stores. Secondly, our nation has an economy based on minimum wages verses livable wages. This has lead to greater dependence of government services. The reliance of a economic system driven by a minimum wage creates a stigma for millions who rely on help from the Federal Government. Over 100 million Americans receive some form of assistance from our government. Debt is another problem. The student loan crisis has created an atmosphere of indentured servitude. Over a trillion dollars in debt holding families hostage for most of their adult lives. Finally, a lottery system of care rules the land. If you are "lucky" enough to have excellent healthcare coverage, you will be fine. A catastrophic illness leads to bankruptcy and a slew of gofundme pages to help families provides for themselves.
In some ways, the ending of segregation has been replaced by a sophisticated system of wealth redistribution. Affluent suburbs often time surround mass populations of decay. Travel along the I90 corridor in Upstate New York and you will see drastic differences in services, schools, and opportunities. Similar corridors exist across this nation. The haves versus the have nots is distracted by an illusion of prosperity. The rich have created the greatest disparity among the other 99.5% of the population. Holding mass amounts of wealth, it seems there is nothing wrong with a system that distributes wealth in the manner we have become accustomed to in our country.
Some people believe huge gains have been made since the Civil Rights movements, yet they live in communities whereas the diversity of their school administrations and city government do not reflect the diverse populations that they serve. We somehow learned to peacefully coexist in this kind of environment. Civil Disobedience in the 21st Century? Hints of it, quickly dismissed on social media. It seems that the media controls dissent quite well.
What can we do to reinvigorate Dr. King's message. I have always said that Public Education is the key to change. Instead of achieving a goal of a common core of knowledge, we need to encourage a system of critical thinking, and the question of one's reality. Until then, Dr. King's dream will be just that, a dream.
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