Hedreich Nichols

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Martin Luther King Jr.

Free at Last (The MLK Edition)

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It was not so very long ago that Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina led the charge against this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that we now celebrate. Today, that congressional fight has largely faded from memory as we celebrate the powerful words Dr. King spoke. In Selma. In Detroit. In Washington. From the many great speeches: I have a dream…; Now is time to make real the promise of democracy… so many great words flood our social media threads on this day. We remember the greatness but forget what he fought for. Dr. King’s marches began because of segregation and voting rights. This past year, the rights he fought for have been under attack like no time since he began the fight.

From Brennancenter.org:

In 2021, the state legislative push to restrict access to voting was not only aggressive — it was also successful.  Between January 1 and December 7, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting. More than 440 bills with provisions that restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states in the 2021 legislative sessions. These numbers are extraordinary: state legislatures enacted far more restrictive voting laws in 2021 than in any year since the Brennan Center began tracking voting legislation in 2011. More than a third of all restrictive voting laws enacted since then were passed this year. And in a new trend this year, legislators introduced bills to allow partisan actors to interfere with election processes or even reject election results entirely.

Unfortunately, the momentum around this legislation continues. So far, at least 13 bills restricting access to voting have been pre-filed for the 2022 legislative session in four states. In addition, at least 152 restrictive voting bills in 18 states will carry over from 2021.

Liberty and Justice for All?

Who are we? Are we really who our founding documents say we are, or are we only patriots when it serves us? Gerrymandering, redrawing districts and attempted coups make me afraid of what that answer might be.

How will you honor the memory of a man who believed in the America we could be? My ask this week is that you spend some time reading the article on voter suppression from the Brennan Center, and that you contact your congressional representatives. After that, ask at least 3 friends to do the same. If you’d like additional information on voting rights and redistricting (wtheck do we do that for anyway??), head to Ballotpedia and use the dropdown menu on the left.

You Can Make a Difference

Although we teach all to often only about the great speeches in schools, Dr. King’s legacy is far greater than the words he spoke. MLK was not just a Nobel prize winner, not just a man of great words. He was a man of action, arrested 29 times and finally assassinated, shot in the face at the age of 39 for leading the nation into the constitutional promiseland of liberty and justice for all. He was a true patriot who gave his life for his country. If you want to honor his legacy, skip the quote post and instead, post a copy of your protest letter. That would be a celebration worthy of a King.

Free at Last (The MLK Edition) Read More »

Celebrate

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On January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 91 years old, had he not been shot and killed over 50 years ago. The father and husband had yet to celebrate his 40th birthday. A black man, shot and killed, riots destroying communities. A weapon bought under an alias days before the murder, an investigation lacking in clarity and closure. A story that could be in the news cycle today. His untimely death left a hole in the soul of this country. Given his work for equity and access during his short tenure on earth, he could not have imagined that 50 years on, we would still see the black man shot-riot-murky investigation scene played over and over at regular intervals. He would be deeply saddened to know that although Alabama and many other places find black children and white children playing together, school segregation is on the rise and in integrated schools, black students, particularly males, have a 25% suspension rate although they make up only 8% of the school population. He would be outraged that the guns that leave people maimed, dead and traumatized in churches and schools across America can still be bought in many states with few restrictions. What would he be doing to celebrate his birthday if he were alive and able today? Would he be sadly siting on the sidelines penning social media rants, or would he find some way to continue the work he started decades ago, work we say we celebrate on the 3rd Monday in January?

How are we celebrating the birthday of this man who lost his life fighting for equity and access for all? Are we shopping the sales? Sleeping in? Watching the parades and eating barbecue? While a day of rest is not a bad thing and saving money is always good, let me give you a few alternatives that would honor the man and his vision:

  • Use your voice. Go to your local city council and school board meetings to speak out and vote on social justice issues.
  • Register to vote. Or if you’re already registered, pick up cards from the library and get 5 friends to register. And have them do the same.
  • Volunteer at a school, library or community tutoring center. You don’t have to be an algebra wiz to help a 2nd grader.
  • Organize a driving pool in your church or community to drive voters to and from the polls on election days. Local ones are coming up.
  • Support organizations like the ones on this list or scan the UN’s SDG Lazy Person’s Guide To Saving The World to see what you can do while shopping to make the world a better place and honor the King legacy.

This holiday is about so much more than a birthday. It’s a reminder that the work Martin Luther King Jr. began is unfinished. In our classrooms, on our campuses, in our communities, there is work that needs to be done every day to ensure that all students have access to an equitable and culturally responsive educational experience. What and how we teach them will prepare them to then flood our communities with a deep and abiding sense of social justice and fairness.

Mommie and me

I remember my great-grandmother, Mommie, going proudly to eat lunch in the 70s at the Woolworth lunch counter, her cane tucked away, hatted head held even higher than usual. It would be years before I understood what this small privilege meant to a black woman born in Louisiana in the 1890s. I remember the 80s when Jessie Helms and other politicians tried to make sure that MLK’s birthday wouldn’t become a national holiday, and I remember the joyous celebrations when it finally did. Finally, I remember, only a couple of years ago, my son asking me if Obama had been the first black president. I remember being moved to tears, not because he had missed that fact, but because my son’s norm was having a black president. There has been progress. MLK forged a path in his short time as a civil rights leader that we have widened and fortified. But there is so much more to be done. I am moved to leave you with this poignant, action inspiring MLK Jr. quote;

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

–Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of tomorrow’s holiday, how will you celebrate?

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