Jan. 18, 2021
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message of Non-Violence Has Been Used Against Black America
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is defined by his pursuit of equal rights for Black Americans through unity and peace.
He is canonized in American history as the patron saint of change through passive measures.
<p>His infamous <a href="https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety" target="_blank">"I Have A Dream"</a> speech was a rallying cry for this country to live up to its promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. King urged us to be a nation that advocates for the inclusion of all of its citizens in the American Dream, no matter their race.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-141"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="1752584468"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script></p><p>But Dr. King's message of non-violence and civil disobedience is often misinterpreted. For some in the Black community, it means doing absolutely nothing in the face of physical harm from white people. <strong>In the hands of many conservatives and racists, his beliefs are a gag order against racial injustice. </strong>They have distorted King's dream in an attempt to make us docile.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-143"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>The marches and protests during the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement" target="_blank">Civil Rights Movement</a> were peaceful acts of civil disorder. King implored members of the movement not to engage in chaos and destruction. Unfortunately, these non-threatening gatherings became violent due to agitation from law enforcement, despite honoring King's wishes of peaceful resistance.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ2MDQwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTIwNDQ4MH0.AlSi0zY1Q8U030Pu8k5Q8htbi5RmEdlCYjb4EFvWrJI/img.jpg?width=980" id="553e6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="731fd9eeb2f096da3e4fb8033249e9f9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Civil rights protest">
</p><p>At the time, King's call for unity and equal rights was considered radical and unpatriotic. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/01/15/956434450/mlk-fbi-humanizes-a-civil-rights-icons-legacy" target="_blank">The FBI had him under surveillance</a>, and he was the recipient of death threats from white extremists. King was a beacon of peace; but, his cause made him a target for hate.<br></p><p>The narrative surrounding King's death has been warped, as well. Revisionist history paints him as a martyr when, in reality, he was a victim of white supremacy. His<a href="https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr-assassination" target="_blank"> assassination in 1968</a> was a cruel irony. He preached peace only for its antithesis to be his demise. </p><p>Today, civil unrest is at an all-time high<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-dozen-high-profile-fatal-encounters-that-have-galvanized-protests-nationwide/2020/06/08/4fdbfc9c-a72f-11ea-b473-04905b1af82b_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">. Innocent Black lives are taken by police almost daily</a>, and the election of President Trump brought to light how much America hasn't changed since <a href="https://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jim Crow</a>. We've applied the same tactics that King advised his followers to use, only to receive the same treatment decades later.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-145"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>When highlighting the level of violence against non-aggressive demonstrations, many on the Right feel that Black people's right to protest is a justification for police brutality. In their eyes, the need to peacefully assemble to combat racism is excessive and unnecessary, as if any non-violent uprising is a threat and has to be silenced to preserve law and order.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ2MDQyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTI5NDE0OX0.a3t7NLxVJQjEPbl1ktcOxfkg5hDKWvinbjy4Yb05SuM/img.jpg?width=980" id="3106a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dca1b6089d2c653373202ab7586e5c0d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Black lives matter arrest">
</p><p>Even Black entertainers and athletes have faced public backlash for speaking against racial inequality. NFL Quarterback <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/01/colin-kaepernick-kneeling-history/" target="_blank">Colin Kaepernick was blackballed for kneeling in protest against police brutality. </a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpwi9OtJg_w" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kendrick Lamar's "Alright"</a>, a song about Black people overcoming struggle, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6620035/kendrick-lamar-responds-geraldo-rivera-alright-bet-awards" target="_blank">was deemed an anti-police anthem</a>. White America demonized them and others for using their platforms to bring awareness.<br></p><p><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 04B3-text-and-display -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="1924957707" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script></p><p>Meanwhile, white nationalism doesn't face the same level of persecution that Black liberation receives. Racists and fascists that subscribe to Trumpism are considered "patriots." But Black people seeking a level playing field are labeled as treasonous. One side has resorted to rioting as a last resort. The other looked at <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/media/capitol-hill-insurrection-denial/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">insurrection</a> as a first solution.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-147"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>Over 50 years after his death, Dr. King's message of peaceful resistance is a patronizing jab at the Black community. His philosophy isn't a factor when barbaric bigots are looking to harm us. <strong>Instead, it's as a pseudo restraining order to thwart our attempts at seeking change and potential retaliation.</strong> </p><p>For many Americans, Dr. King was a Civil Rights Superman. Unfortunately, his stance has become the movement's kryptonite.</p>
Keep reading...
Show less
Jan. 07, 2021
The Attack on Capitol Hill Wasn't Black Americans' Fight
"President Kennedy never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon...Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they always made me glad." -Malcolm X.
<p><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="1752584468"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script></p><p>The <a href="https://www.popdust.com/capitol-building-2649771061.html" target="_blank">attack on Capitol Hill</a> was another example of how President Donald Trump has emboldened white supremacy. His term in office has given racism and fascism a bigger platform and an official advocate. He proved that, at his command, MAGA fanatics will assemble to do his bidding.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-141"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p>As the world watched the descent of democracy, many were appalled at the visual. This was an attempted coup two weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.<strong> News outlets and politicians questioned how we, as a country, got to this point. But for Black Americans, this has always been our country.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2NjI5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODU0MDEwMH0.dS-9oEeqL63Scxhy2zD6zM_OvM-CewAQWtF4UK6DNQY/img.jpg?width=980" id="529ce" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="308725bdde0a4bb410bc0b2c5bee115d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Terrorists takeover Capitol Hill">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Terrorists takeover Capitol Hill</small></p><p>The violence witnessed on Capitol Hill was a scene all too familiar for Black people. The difference was that we weren't the direct targets. Trump's base has antagonized and threatened violence against Black people while law enforcement abuses its power when interacting with us. The confrontation between the two entities responsible for our oppression was unexpected, but not surprising.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-143"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>Many <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2021/01/police-stood-by-as-a-pro-trump-mob-stormed-the-capitol.html" target="_blank">Trump supporters and members of law enforcement are cut from the same cloth</a>. In fact, many members of law enforcement voted for him. Their belief in excessive force under the guise of law and order gives them what they feel is the right to harm anyone who goes against their authority. They are loyal to a flawed system and a man that keeps them in power and not to the country and its citizens seeking progress and peace.</p><p>Throughout this presidency, both sides have pledged their allegiance to each other. MAGA supporters have backed the Blue Lives Matter movement. Police officers have demonstrated leniency when dealing with unruly Trump disciples at rallies and protests. Both believe they are the good guys trying to make things great again.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-145"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>[shorcode-Newsletter-Embed]</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2NjMwMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDc5MjYxM30.MgFRD7vQccmnOjNVP2lvUTYrBvaHQaIWwr2fgscVrwA/img.jpg?width=980" id="7fdf0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3ca75ffa62f5f5fdc7f826dc005ba75d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Trump supporters scaling the Capitol Building">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Trump supporters scaling the Capitol Building</small></p><p>Black people have had to do battle with both. We've had to listen to the various lies spewed about the Black Lives Matter movement from supporters of the president while fighting police brutality daily. The assault on Blackness was a cause that unified them. Black people have warned the world of the dangers these factions were capable of for years. Those claims fell on deaf ears, until yesterday when they turned on one another.<br></p><p>For many Black Americans, yesterday was the manifestation of this country's inability to address domestic terrorism. Peaceful protests and resistance against police brutality are viewed in the same light as the insurrection. The anarchy and mayhem that GOP pundits accuse BLM of inciting was a direct order from their leader.</p><p>Their ignorance and arrogance gave them the courage to lay siege to a government building. But if angry Black protesters attempted the same actions, many lives would've been lost.</p><div id="27ef6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="51a88a8fe4c6ac68448ee6c32e391594"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346913893470363655" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The same reason why the police routinely kill Black people is the same reason why the police are routinely unprepar… https://t.co/Rc3yWRZ2PA</div> — Ibram X. Kendi (@Ibram X. Kendi)<a href="https://twitter.com/DrIbram/statuses/1346913893470363655">1609964271.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Suddenly, Trump supporters view themselves as oppressed. Their reign over the country is coming to a not so graceful end. Rather than humbly accepting defeat, they want to dismantle the establishment. The same establishment that helped empower them over the last four years.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-147"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>Somehow this attack was yet another revelation for white Americans. Before Trump's election, the idea of police officers displaying a lack of regard for the lives of Black people was inconceivable to white Americans. The thought of parts of our government upholding systemic racism was unfathomable. </p><p>Last night, after a year of reckoning with the racism built into America's system, white Americans were forced to once again look at the enormous part white privilege plays in policing. But for Black people, it was simply a clear visual of America's decision on November 8, 2016, coming home to roost.</p>
Keep reading...
Show less