iPods, Parades, and Martin Luther King

I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.
— Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 4 April 1967

Today is the twentieth anniversary of Martin Luther King Day. I joined Knoxville’s parade, walking with some of my church friends through East Knoxville, a mostly black neighborhood. The atmosphere was festive and the attitude relaxed.

On the way to the parade I played the “I Have A Dream” speech and the “Beyond Vietnam” speech on my iPod. King’s brave stance against the war in Vietnam is perhaps even more important to hear today, as we struggle with our policy in Iraq. His magnificent oratory still brings tears to speech my eyes. My 4-year-old daughter Chloe listened begrudgingly from the backset. She said matter-of-factly that King’s voice sounded “kind of like a monster.” I explained that he shouts because what he is saying was very important. Being a dad means not laughing at the crazy things kids say.

As we wove through neighborhoods on the way to the Tabernacle Baptist Church, we drove through Walter P. Taylor Homes, a Knoxville housing project. I thought about what it must be like to live in the littered squalor and disrepair I saw there. Dr. King said “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”

Dr. King wasn't just about ending racism. His dream was for freedom from all kinds of oppression, even the economic kind. Groups like the Economic Policy Institute, the Acorn Living Wage Campaign, Journalists Covering Inequality, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and United for a Fair Economy continue the struggle to end poverty.

Today there are lots of resources for anyone interested in the rich legacy of Dr. King and the civil rights movement. But perhaps the best thing we can all do is to find events in our local community to participate in, and to volunteer for social justice organizations that continue to keep the dream alive.