One step forward, two steps back
Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
One step forward, two steps back.
Yes, I know that’s not how the expression goes. But I feel that it perfectly describes the current state of our country.
On Monday, America is pausing to reflect the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The holiday is seen by many as a day of service, not a day of relaxation. It’s “a day on, not a day off,” as some people like to put it.
Dr. King spent his entire life putting this country before himself, and it cost him his life. He worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone was treated equally regardless of the color of their skin, but “the content of their character.”
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he first started preaching with his father at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. His Christian faith was a huge part of who he was as a leader and it was what guided his every move.
From boycotts to sit-ins and from marches to rallies, Dr. King always used means of nonviolence to get his points across. Unfortunately, these forms of demonstration were seen by many as a threat, and some people took their fears out on King himself. He was repeatedly arrested, his house was bombed, and he faced several other threats of violence against his life and his family.
But it was these threats that pushed him to keep fighting for what he believed was right. He kept marching. He kept protesting. He kept getting into good trouble.
Perhaps the pinnacle of his life was the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” a large rally in Washington, DC in 1963 where he would deliver his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
In the months and years following the march, the federal government began enacting meaningful change, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation on the basis of race, religion, gender and/or national origin. The following year, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which overturned discriminatory voting laws and practices, such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
Though these laws were pivotal in the fight for Civil Rights, Dr. King did not believe that his work was finished. In April 1968, he visited Memphis to help sanitation workers who were going on strike. It was there that he was shot and killed on a hotel balcony. The entire nation spent the following days and weeks mourning an incredible loss.
When I say “one step forward, two steps back,” I am not minimizing the hard work of Dr. King and others who helped create equal opportunities for everyone in this country. Without their extraordinary leadership, there’s no telling how long it would have been before equal rights were granted to everyone. But I believe that their hard work and principles are currently under attack all over this country.
I do not need to remind any of you about the difficult conversations we have had regarding race in recent years. The horrific killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery sparked conversations that we really haven’t had as a country since Dr. King’s era. Like most of us, I’m sure Dr. King would have watched in shock and horror as a police officer suffocated an unarmed Black man outside of a convenience store.
And a Black man being hunted down and killed by three white men while out jogging is an insult to everything Dr. King stood for. Yes, we know that every suspect in these cases was convicted. But those verdicts do not bring these two innocent men back to life. They should still be alive with their families. While these verdicts do symbolize progress, we must not forget that the families of the victims will have to suffer every day for the rest of their lives.
It also appears that the right to vote is still very much under attack. The Supreme Court dealt a huge blow to the Voting Rights Act in 2013, striking down the preclearance provision in the Shelby County v. Holder case.
In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election — which saw the highest turnout of any election in American history, dozens of states have introduced legislation that would restrict access to the ballot box, such as reducing the number of dropboxes and shortening the window to apply for absentee ballots — after an election that saw millions of votes cast by mail.
The solution to all of this is simple: pass federal voting rights legislation. But due to archaic congressional rules, these bills are stalled in the U.S. Senate and it does not appear that they will be passed any time soon, despite a hard push from President Joe Biden and civil rights organizations.
There has also been conversations about “critical race theory” in recent months. The concept is difficult to explain, but in short, some politicians want our country’s dark history with race to be kept out of our classrooms. All I am going to say is this: you cannot whitewash the truth. You can keep it out of classrooms all you want. But for some students, our country’s problems with race are not history. They are reality. So while you can try hard to keep our kids from learning about it in school, it is a reality that they will have to grapple with when they grow older.
We owe a tremendous amount of our country’s progress to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But our work is not done just because he is no longer with us. You could argue that our work is just beginning.
One of Dr. King’s strongest qualities was his sense of hope and optimism. With everything going on in this country, it’s easy to be fearful and nervous about our future.
But it is that fear and complacency that prevents us from making any progress. In Dr. King’s spirit, we must remain optimistic. Continue making noise if you feel that something is not right. Call your elected officials, organize marches and update your voter registration.
We cannot and should not let fear roll back all of Dr. King’s progress.
Excellent reporting, Niles!!
More than proud👏 .