Ever since 1986, the third Monday in January has been set aside to honor the birthday and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Some of us celebrate his legacy by attending a prayer breakfast, luncheon or other festive event. We reflect on the famous “I have a Dream” speech. Some still remember and share their own personal accounts of the civil rights struggle. Then there are some of us who do nothing but enjoy a day off from work.
What category did you fall into on this particular third Monday in January?
It’s all well and good to celebrate the life of a great man but what happens the day AFTER the MLK Holiday? Did you wake up and hear the “let freedom ring” bells ringing in your community? Can you say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all men (and women) are treated equally on your job? If someone were to judge you by the content of your character, what would your sentence be? How many little black boys and little black girls have you seen walking hand-in-hand, side-by-side with little white girls and little white boys ANYWHERE? Did you go out in the world and make a difference by helping someone else or taking a stand against an injustice?
What are we really celebrating 40 years later?
Showing posts with label civil rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label civil rights. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Baby Boomer's View of the Jena 6
As a veteran journalist and baby boomer, I have followed, with much interest, the controversy surrounding the Jena 6 in Jena, Louisiana. This is one of those times when I wish I was still working in the newsroom---fighting for the right to cover stories of the injustices done to African-Americans---especially to African-American males.
I have seen very little coverage on this story and I know why. The “white shirts” who run newsrooms around the country don’t see the same significance as they do in a story berating OJ Simpson. It’s OK to kick a black man down BELOW the ground but don’t try to lift him up because he might try to steal a white woman.
I worked in an environment where an Assistant News Director expressed his fear of driving in a predominately black neighborhood and chastised me for his belief that I wanted him to show me favoritism because of my race. My question was----and still is---how do you get objective news reporting coverage from a manager like that?
What is getting ready to happen in Jena is historic. But let’s not forget, it’s happening in other places across America. Take the case of James Johnson in Wilson, NC who is scheduled to stand trial for the murder of an 18 year old white girl next week. There is NO EVIDENCE linking him to the crime but the District Attorney seems gung-ho on connecting him since he was apparently at the crime scene with another young man who has already confessed that he did it and he acted alone.
The Jena 6 movement is also very similar to the marches of the late 1950s and 1960s when people who believed in freedom marched and said “I ain’t gon’ let nobody turn me around..turn me around…turn me around…”
It is somewhat similar to Woodstock, when free thinkers said make love---not war.
I salute Davie Bowie who recently donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for the six black teens charged in the alleged attack on the white classmate in Jena. It tells me that there are baby boomers who still have a conscience and awareness for what SHOULD be right with the world
Now I know this blog is going to piss some people off but I thank God I live in a country protected by the First amendment.
I have seen very little coverage on this story and I know why. The “white shirts” who run newsrooms around the country don’t see the same significance as they do in a story berating OJ Simpson. It’s OK to kick a black man down BELOW the ground but don’t try to lift him up because he might try to steal a white woman.
I worked in an environment where an Assistant News Director expressed his fear of driving in a predominately black neighborhood and chastised me for his belief that I wanted him to show me favoritism because of my race. My question was----and still is---how do you get objective news reporting coverage from a manager like that?
What is getting ready to happen in Jena is historic. But let’s not forget, it’s happening in other places across America. Take the case of James Johnson in Wilson, NC who is scheduled to stand trial for the murder of an 18 year old white girl next week. There is NO EVIDENCE linking him to the crime but the District Attorney seems gung-ho on connecting him since he was apparently at the crime scene with another young man who has already confessed that he did it and he acted alone.
The Jena 6 movement is also very similar to the marches of the late 1950s and 1960s when people who believed in freedom marched and said “I ain’t gon’ let nobody turn me around..turn me around…turn me around…”
It is somewhat similar to Woodstock, when free thinkers said make love---not war.
I salute Davie Bowie who recently donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for the six black teens charged in the alleged attack on the white classmate in Jena. It tells me that there are baby boomers who still have a conscience and awareness for what SHOULD be right with the world
Now I know this blog is going to piss some people off but I thank God I live in a country protected by the First amendment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)