I Have A Dream For The Future
Courtesy of Library of Congress
Like some people, I had today off to celebrate Dr. (MLK) King. However, as a “minority” “person of color,” today’s meaning wasn’t lost on me. I am aware that, until recently, it was okay to prohibit people from purchasing homes in certain communities based on their race (perceived skin color), until The Fair Housing Act (1968) outlawed this. Until Loving vs. Virginia (1967), it was legal for states to have miscegenation laws prohibiting people from marrying based on race. It was through the work of Dr. King and countless others that our rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” were legally protected.
Although my son is only in kindergarten, I have thought about how to explain race and inequality. Up until now, our emphasis was on teaching him how to look at and treat people equally. We weren’t really sure where to start until recently.
Towards the end of last week, I asked my son how his day went. Then, he proceeded to excitedly tell us everything about “Martin Luther King, Jr.” (his exact words). For a kindergartner, my son gave a very clear explanation: how he worked to level the field for all and exactly how he lost his life. While my son already was aware that some people are “tan,” he has never focused on it too much. This lesson, finally, gave us a platform for a discussion!
We mentioned how things were “back then”: how people were separated on buses, the separate drinking fountains, how some people couldn’t marry because of skin color and how not everybody could buy a house where they wanted. While we were excited that he was learning about these issues, we didn’t want to overload him.
While many things are “better,” we shouldn’t think that the “work” is done. I have always appreciated children’s candor. They have a simple way of looking at things, as there's much that they don’t understand. If a child (my son) can’t logically understand why racist, prejudiced views are okay, then how can individuals that hold them truthfully justify them?
While The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States…are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,“ we tried to do separate but equal. Later rulings did show that segregation was discrimination. The way that I see it, if we abide by The Constitution, then we either have protection for all or protection for none.
As I wrap up this meditation on Dr. King’s legacy, I think about his I Have A Dream speech,
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…
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.”
When I look at the first passage, I think about how people that,in prior eras would never have socialized, can now do so. I can remember moments in those celebrity genealogy shows, where African-American celebrities contact the family of their ancestors’ slaveholders and they connect. Sometimes, the slaverholders’ descendants apologized for their ancestors owning human beings, as they can see how slavery was wrong.
When I look at the second passage, I think about the possibility of a world, where people aren’t hung up on race (skin color). I dream of a world, where people don’t think that it’s okay to ask, “What are you?” I dream of a world, where race isn’t considered a suitable descriptor because it’s usually not in and of itself meaningful. What does “half white” mean anyway? Even in a particular ethnic group (defined by sociocultural features rather than by physical ones), you can have people from super light complexions to super dark. In my ideal world, we are defined by our humanity.
So today, when many people celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, let us not rest on our laurels. It’s easy to post a quote or a meme. Great. However, I challenge you to see what you can do on a practical (concerned with ordinary activities, business or work) level to bring actual change. If someone says something offensive, discuss how their comment is offensive and why it offends. Try to engage but not lecture because you would be surprised how sometimes that person has no idea. You could make this a significant teachable moment in that person's life. If you are fortunate to benefit from an opportunity but you see that other qualified people don’t have the same access, look into how that access can be given. What can you do to bring about change?