Am I the Only One? | My thoughts on King’s Assassination

It's 50 years later and my timeline is filled with images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on a balcony, just before or just after his assassination. Fishing for likes and the perception of consciousness or “woke-ness” is the order of the day. Some have no appreciation for the significance of April 4th (for more reasons than one, Queen Angelou). The posting of a picture of social media is as close as they will get.

Am I the only one tired of artificial and surface expressions of consciousness?

It's 50 years later and bodies of color in conflict with law enforcement, streets filled with unrest or protest, and hearts filled with grief because we had to bury another one of our own without accountability are still a normal thing. Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Laquan McDonald, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Micheal Brown, and Akai Gurley are the evidence we must remember.

Am I the only one wondering what has changed in the last 50 years?

It's 50 years later and people still ONLY celebrate King’s "I Have a Dream" speech. What about his other speeches like, Letter From a Birmingham Jail or What is your Life's Blueprint? or Beyond Vietnam or  I've Been to the Mountain Top? The truth of his core values remains hidden in written literature. The depth of his character eludes the ordinary spokesperson and collectively society settles for the sanitized version of Martin Luther King Jr's life.

Am I the only one who feels like we are missing out on a world of wisdom and revelation?

It’s 50 years laters and many of our elders are still famous ONLY because they met with, supposedly walked with, or shook the hand of  Martin Luther King Jr. They have profited from his martyrdom. They have stolen some of the responsibility for his legacy. Plaques and applause are their highest achievement. 

Am I the only one who has a healthy dosage of suspicion for folks who claim to be affiliated with Martin Luther King Jr without the scars to prove it? 

It’s 50 years later and some preachers still refuse to leave the walls of their church. They preach Jesus but say nothing about homelessness, low wages, corruption in politics, or unjust laws. They hide behind the busyness of church management and speech preparation. They embarrass others who carry the clergy label. They put speaking of truth to power on the back burner.

Am I the only one that IS CERTAIN that these practices don't reflect Jesus, Christianity, or the work done during the life of MLK?

It’s 50 years later and Martin Luther King Jr's face is a coloring exercise for youth, losing significance every year. Institutionalized oppression still smiles and shines bright on the emerging generation of young leaders.

Am I the only one that feels like we should start our own schools and reclaim the significance of our ancestral heros? 

It’s 50 years later and someone had to remind me that it had been 50 years...

Am I the only one? 

They killed a dreamer and 

caused others to sleep on their dreams as well. 

I don't want to miss the glaring call of suffering generations...

If I am the only one, so be it...

I WILL NOT sit on potential to do 

something bold to change the world we live in...

Dr. King's legacy must be remembered but we must also continue to pave the difficult road once paved by him and many others.

~In Rememberance