MLK Day 2015: Are we Free?
Written by Jasmine Jones, BOP Lead Organizer
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Friday I had a text message conversation with my seven year-old godson. I asked him when he was going to come see me and he told me on “Martin’s birthday.” I instantly chuckled to myself at how he addressed Dr. Martin Luther King in such familial way, my next thought was what is his second grade teacher teaching him about the honorable Dr. King? Then, on an even larger scale, what does the world know- or what is the world learning- about Dr. King in “post-racial” 2015? At a time when white supremacy, better known as racism, in this nation hides in the hearts of individuals and embeds itself in all the policies and institutions that exist, I wondered what my little Black baby boy knew about Dr. King.
Are we free? Some would call me crazy for even asking that question, while others would say the fact that Oakland and the Bay Area can be so diverse is an indicator of great progress and some might go as far to say freedom. Yet how can anyone dare say we are free or that we have even made progress when society has to be reminded with a hashtag that Black lives matter? No Black woman is free when her biggest fear is that her son, brother, uncle or father can be murdered by the police and there is no accountability. No Black man or boy is free if from the time they are born they have been identified as a target for destruction. No one is free when the very humanity of one group is taken away in an attempt to maintain a sense of superiority. No, we are not free–but how do I explain that to my children, that in the big world their life does not matter?
This weekend and for the past few months there have been many powerful and inspiring actions happening locally and across the country. I am sure Dr. King would be impressed to see so many of today’s activists using strategies from the Civil Rights movement. I think he would also be terribly disturbed that things have not changed much since 1964–and I dare to say that things have gotten worse. We are now living in a world where equality is not enough, we need equity. In order to get to that fairness in a real way this nation is going to have to confront white supremacy, how white supremacy manifests in all the institutions in this country, how white supremacy has traumatized its victims and perpetrators and be ready to radically change how it has operated since its inception. Until then we will not be free. Until then, we will continue to smile in each others faces and eat at each others tables while silently filled with animosity, hostility, resentment and pain. Until then I will do just like Dr. King did and I will dream. I will dream for a revolution and I will encourage all of my current and future (god) children to dream. I have a dream, I have a dream, I have a dream…