MLK Birthday Celebration dampened by poverty, economic inequality, involuntary servitude and incarceration

Scene from Ebenezer Baptist Church, WAGA TV, Fox 5

When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in the midst of planning a Poor People’s March and Campaign in 1968, he was doing so as a reaction to huge economic inequalities in the U.S.

As I prepared to watch his commemorative celebration today (he would have been 90 years old if he had lived), I felt a deep sadness while celebrating his life and am disappointed about our progress as a nation towards freedom since his assassination 50 years ago.

“Hope you enjoy the service,” was the invitation given by the Fox 5 Atlanta newswoman before the live telecast, which was an intro to a production I knew would be a lot of "entertainment" more than a call for new rules for constructive action. 

And here we sit for the 51st time in worst conditions with no end for institutional racism in sight. What’s even more disturbing is the way we are treating each other while standing on the shoulders of civil rights activists who have paid an unforgivable price.

“I wish he was here to help us,” said his only surviving daughter, Dr. Bernice King, recently while the King Home was closed due to a government shutdown. Noticeably absent again were her two brothers, MLK, III and Dexter.

We have to keep trying to keep hope alive, but here is why I’m pessimistic in 2019 while celebrating the life of MLK.

According to the Economic Poverty Institute, “Today, the black poverty rate remains more than twice as high as the white poverty rate. Children today face the highest rates of poverty of any age group, with 18.0 percent of all children living below the poverty line.”

In America, people are judged by their assets, not the content of their character. —-Tomi Johnson

Why do we do this every year? To keep hope alive while problems get worse? Maybe it's because we've taken on the oppressor's culture instead of returning out minds back to Africa.

Attorney Brian Stevenson, the guest speaker who Bernice King called a prophet, said we must do these things after we celebrate King's life:

Stevenson of Montgomery, Ala. heads the Equal Justice Initiative

1. Be in proximity to the poor and help them.
2. Change the narrative concerning race and racism.
3. Stay hopeful.
4. Commit to perform actions that are uncomfortable and inconvenient.