The legacy of MLK

marjorie says...

I'm fortunate to be able to spend this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Memphis. Tomás and I are here as representatives of SWOP at the National Conference on Media Reform--you can see our critique of the conference itself, and a good definition of what we think an effective grassroots approach to social change is, here.

Memphis is where MLK was murdered while supporting striking sanitation workers, seen in this famous photo. That particular struggle symbolizes MLK's little celebrated linking of racial justice with worker's rights. It also symbolizes why MLK was emerging as a greater threat to the American status quo leading up to his death. He was a dynamic civil rights leader who was increasingly speaking out against the Vietnam war and for the rights of workers. In this way, he was becoming an incredibly powerful voice that connected the dots between the most profound and problematic social issues we've struggled with throughout the years, decades, and centuries. I think this is one of his greatest legacies. Real social change will not happen if we don't connect these dots, moving beyond single issue advocacy and reformist agendas that trap us in narrow disparate boxes. On that note, I hope you all pause for a moment this weekend and reflect on the Civil Rights Movement, which we commemorate with this holiday. Its a movement that benefited each and every one of us, and continues to inform our lives today.