There are relatively few moments in our lives that make history; a precise occasion that is marked and reflected upon as either a game changer or a period of extreme significance. The weekend of August 27th & 28th will be one for the books as we not only commemorate the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream Speech,' but also when the world bears witness to the unveiling of the national King Memorial. As members of the civil rights community and all those who continue to push for equality across the board convene in our nation's capital to assess our progress and march on for the battles that still lay ahead, generations will look back on this weekend and recount how we paid homage to the people's true champion in the most fitting of ways. It is undeniably an unprecedented, remarkable event that anyone who carries on the teachings of Dr. King simply cannot afford to miss.
We are living in perhaps one of the most unpredictable and capricious times in our nation's history. While people of color and the traditionally marginalized make enormous strides with access to places never even imaginable before, the working class and poor are still under attack in extraordinary and systematic ways. When the disenfranchised are further removed from the mainstream, the class divide between the haves and have not's naturally increases. For those who may be quick to forget the legacy of Dr. King, let us remember that he died while fighting for worker's rights and the basic human dignity of all.
Since last year's march in Washington, regressive tactics have sadly been on display across the country. In the state of Wisconsin, we first observed measures to dismantle unions and collective bargaining rights that sadly were soon emulated in other places from coast to coast. And unfortunately, the same conservative Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, recently signed a measure requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls, making it the 11th state to implement such a policy. When many poor, elderly and rural residents do not even possess a driver's license, such legislation instantly deters certain sectors of the populous from voting. And when harsh immigration tactics and the refusal of elected officials to pass the DREAM Act impede on the ability of people of color to have a voice in society, we still have a tremendous way to go.
As working Americans incessantly struggle to gain employment and livable wages, we continue to watch rampant foreclosures and fluctuating markets most heavily impact those that are already suffering under tumultuous financial times. National Action Network, and our partners in labor, education, civil rights and the Church, call on every man, woman and child who understands the urgency of social justice on all levels to join us in Washington, D.C. this August. If you have ever faced oppression, been discriminated against, lost your ability to provide for your family, lost decent health care, watched families torn apart from mass incarceration rates, or simply understand the nobility in fighting for equality, be sure to gather at the Lincoln Memorial as we carry on the message of Dr. King.
Following NAN's rally and march, we will all re-convene the next day on Aug. 28th and bear witness to the momentous unveiling of the King Memorial. Thanks to the unwavering fundraising efforts of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the King Memorial will not only pay homage to our nation's greatest civil rights leader, but it will also be the first time a non-president will be memorialized on the banks of the Potomac. It will be a weekend of reflection, organization, strategy, celebration and hope for what we have gainfully achieved, what unites us as human beings and what challenges still remain. All roads in August lead to Washington -- don't get left behind in the dust of stagnation.
Follow Rev. Al Sharpton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheRevAl
Clarence B. Jones: In Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr: The Opening of the King Memorial
Andrew Wilkes: Tough Minds and Tender Hearts: An Open Letter to Young Clergy
Debbie Hines: What Obama Needs to Learn From Dr. King
Martin Luther King, Jr
While prejudices still exist in all forms , the game is now being played moreso with dollars and cents than with colors. The bottom line is all that matters in society as more and more corporations take control of government and through that . our everyday lives.
This President ( being the first of color ) has suffered more intolerance, prejudice and abuse than any other President before. Codewords and phrases, images and rhetoric have been non stop since the day he was inaugarated. Screaming people of '' I want my country back '' have been played and replayed in an environment of hate.
Through it all people of color and women have indeed made strides , but there is a long way to go. Inner cities are collapsing with the progresses that have been made by minorites with home ownership disappearing. They are feeling the brunt the most while republican governors are stripping away all social programs that might help.
There have been plenty of setbacks and those that would like to over take the message of the great Dr. King , but remembering his message and working together, we shall achieve equality for all.
Socially AND Econimically.
ps. you did a pretty decent job filling in on MSNBC Rev.
Really Sharpton? Why don't you ever mention those ways instead of simply throwing out accusations for effect? So tired of your victim baiting.
In fact.... I'm of one of those two groups and ya know... I can't find a single way I've been under attack in extraordinary and systemic ways.
Tell me slogan thrower, what am I missing?
Oh yea... victim-hood mentality.
Intelligence.
...and the people all said "Amen!"
It clearly refers to Dr. King's desire for the "basic human dignity of all", and particularly, the challenges facing "working Americans" which naturally embraces many ethnicities.
I guess that makes us the real victims here -- huh ?
The irrelevance of your comments to the actual content of the article suggests that:
(a) you lack basic comprehension skills or
(b) you are mistakenly commenting on an entirely different article.
We need one more button - favorite is good, abusive is needed...
How about 'Marked as Irrelevant'?
This country was founded on the principals of limited government, separation of powers, and federalism- that is authority delegated to the states within the context of free enterprise. I'll be damned if I let that be torn down so black people can get all the welfare and entitlements they have arbitrarily decided they deserve.
FACT is blacks ARE victims in US society that jails 1 in every 136 of its own citizens (the US is a world champion jailer), a disproportionate majority of whom are blacks. No matter what you think about the causes that either means America is an apartheid state where laws are selectively enforced based on race or that education and opportunity is not as open to certain races as they are to whites. The only other option is to believe in fascism and the supremacy of the white race...which is where it comes down to when many conservatives are honest in the privacy of their home.
Not allowing certain people to vote? Really, who's NOT allowing it and WHOM are they not allowing?
There are plenty of WHITE BROWN and BEIGE people who are poor.
So stop with the weakest argument about 'disenfranchising' someone.
People CLAIM having an I.D. to vote is somehow racist or against the poor. What it's Based on is CITIZENS voting and keeping NON Citizens from voting.
So stop bending the argument toward race, poor people or stopping some from voting cause it's a tired, baseless, ignorant, talking point thrown up on the wall to stick.
Well, that stickiness is wearing off and it's sliding down that wall of lies.