Martin Luther King In The Cherry Blossoms

Littlechild@emperorsnuclothes.com/ March 18, 2018/ Uncategorized

The following is written in conjunction with guest writer LRM.

Soon my husband and I will be making our annual pilgrimage to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. When are we going? That’s classified…not by us… or the CIA…or the DOJ… but by the cherry blossoms themselves! Originally predicted to be the earliest peak bloom in history, the recent cold weather has caused the buds to hibernate a bit, so we’ll have to play it by ear.

For those who have never been to DC during cherry blossom time, the sight of hundreds of trees covered in billions of pale pink flowers rimming the tidal basin is breathtaking. Also rimming the tidal basin are several national monuments.

The most recent monument to have been constructed is in honor of the great civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It includes a massive statue of Dr. King emerging from the huge block of stone from which it was carved. The inscription reads: “Out of a Mountain Of Despair a Stone Of Hope.” The memorial is an inspired statement and is executed brilliantly.

Many visitors remark, however, that when they look at the statue, Reverend King appears quite stern. Some call it a scowl. And I agree. In fact, to my eye he looks pissed! Which got me thinking.

There’s no doubt that the scowl was meant to show Dr. King’s response to the injustices that blacks have faced and continue to face as minorities in America. And, there’s no doubt that it was intended to inspire resolve to eradicate those injustices. But, I wondered, what would happen if Reverend King had been transported through time and was standing at the monument, in the flesh, as he looked out on today’s America?

In some respects I imagine that he’d be pleased with the progress toward racial equality that’s been made. I imagine he’d be proud of his role in building that America. I imagine that he’d be heartened also by the sizable number of blacks that have entered into positions of merit and power, including the presidency. But, even with all of this, I think he’d still be wearing that scowl. And not for the reasons you might think.

In Dr. King’s poignant “I have a dream” speech he talks of a day when his “four little children live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. The key word here, I believe, is character. I think Dr. King dreamed of a world where his children could become clergy, or professionals or other productive and moral members of society. I don’t think he envisioned his children becoming rap stars or gangstas or athletes who “take a knee” during the national anthem.
I don’t think he dreamed of a plethora of unwed mothers. Of gang violence. Of drug dealing. Of unrelenting crime. Of war on the police.

I think he’d be astonished to see what’s happened to the civil rights movement, which has, apparently, come full circle and BROUGHT BACK segregation in the form of black only dorms and black only classes on certain college campuses, MANDATED BY BLACKS!

I think he’d be crestfallen at the role contemporary black leaders have taken. At the black mayors, police chiefs, attorney generals and recent president who, despite their positions of power, have done little to ameliorate the poverty and violence that many blacks face daily.

I think he’d be profoundly disappointed that our nation is, in some ways, as divided ever. Once the doors of opportunity had been opened (with the Civil Rights Act of the 60’s and the racial quotas and affirmative action of the 70’s and 80’s) I think he’d say that we dropped the ball. That the work ethic that had made America the most productive nation on earth was forgotten. That the concept of personal responsibility became muddled. That the value of hard work and initiative was mocked (remember Mr. Obama, referring to a self made business owner: “You didn’t build that”). That high moral values were also mocked (being called, in some circles, “tokens of the white bourgeoise”). I think he’d say that protesting and demonstrating have become ends in themselves, and some black leaders have developed a vested interest in keeping it that way.

Now what have the paternalistic policies actually done for the majority of African-Americans? Not much, unfortunately. Unemployment rates and poverty rates (Pre Trump) ballooned. Crime rates in certain cities such as Chicago and DC remain extremely high. And overall crime rate rose dramatically during Obama’s Black Lives Matter proselytizing in 2015 and 2016. And when this “inconvenient truth” is pointed out, these individuals say that it’s not their fault. That all we need to do is to keep our present policies, but throw MORE money into them.

Although these policies have served black Americans poorly, there IS, however, ONE beneficiary. Barack Obama was elected to the Presidency of the United States with the shortest resumé in American history. His ONLY job prior to announcing his candidacy (not counting a few years as an absentee Senator) was “community organizer” (i.e. “professional protester”). Ironically, when not protesting, his policies have universally hurt his most ardent supporters: the minorities and the young. Eight years of poor economic growth under his leadership have TRAPPED America’s minorities in poverty and TRAPPED America’s youth in their parents’s basements. And, what’s worse, Mr. Obama’s divisive rhetoric has helped to spawn hate groups such as “Black Lives Matter” that protest and riot (and in some cases MURDER) but have turned a blind eye to thousands of young black men killed by other young black men in street violence.

So, yes, I think Martin Luther King would still wear that scowl. America, both black and white, needs to do better.