King's Dreams: What They Meant Then and Now
This year’s recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated differently in light of recent political turmoil. The election of Donald Trump as president, the rise of shootings and the advent of violent protests have created even more division in our country and on our campus than ever, and this year the theme for MLK Day was, “responding to racial injustices”.
On a day to celebrate a great man who did great things, we are instead forced to listen to "what he would have wanted."
However, this day is meant to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a famous civil rights activist who advanced the civils rights of colored people and women through nonviolent civil disobedience. The message many received, however, was a more agendized one. On a day to celebrate a great man who did great things, we are instead forced to listen to “what he would have wanted.” Subjects which are only related to Dr. King because they also have to do with race are forced into the rhetoric alongside his original message.
This last Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Exeter wasn’t about responding to racial injustices, but rather about how Americans are racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic. The keynote and related activities did not emphasize that there were problems in the U.S. that needed to be solved, but rather broadcast a message of fear and vehemence towards our fellow citizens. In the keynote, the speakers voiced a fear of living in America and fear in the country itself.
However, the MLK day celebration did highlight some very important issues. There are problems that exist in the U.S., and some good ideas were brought up to help fix the divide created among Americans today. Black people really are being killed and incarcerated at incredible rates. Immigration control is an issue which directly affects migrant workers and refugees. Yet, the problem with each of these issues is generalization. Refugees from the Middle East or immigrants from Mexico can come with either good or bad intent. Blacks are incarcerated even though they were innocent, and they are incarcerated because of their lack of innocence. So let’s not generalize.
The MLK workshops also covered the problems in the inner city, and racism toward Blacks that still exist today. Blacks are incarcerated for longer periods, and more often, than people of other races. Blacks get called back for interviews less often if they have a more ethnic sounding name. These are all subjects covered in the elective workshop, “Are There Two Americas?”, but this one workshop shows what is a microcosm of the MLK Day celebration in general.
Like the general message from the MLK Day celebration, too much was focused on vehemence, anger and fear towards America that could be better placed in other parts of politics. Instead of spending workshops talking about how street basketball represents resistance and finding inequality where none exists, we should focus on fixing rifts formed between the people of America and fixing big problems like our economy and American lives.