Almost six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for challenging the systemic racism that pervades the United States, his words of unity and equality still inspire communities worldwide.
While better known for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963, King’s message extended far beyond the racial disparities that separate the nation. King spoke of class exploitation, economic equality, police brutality and worker’s rights.
Many of these issues, according to attendees of Elmont Memorial High School’s MLK Day of Service, are still relevant today.
Pastor Curtis Thompson, from Church of the Harvest, delivered a speech during the Jan. 20 event at the school, emphasizing King’s message of freedom, equality and what it means to serve their community.
One of the problems standing in the way of solving racial disparity, he asserted, is that people live in isolation and do not care about their neighbors. This lack of communication between people of different backgrounds, he stressed, makes it difficult to address problems within disadvantaged communities.
However, Thompson said, solving these issues begins with a conversation. He envisioned a collaboration of people with diverse experiences sitting down and acknowledging their similarities. “Our skin tones might be different, but there are struggles we share in common,” Thompson said. “It’s about putting yourself in another person’s shoes.”
According to King, the commonality of class struggle is a major uniting factor for communities of all races. King said many times, in speeches and his books, that he felt class played a huge role in the United States’ oppression of Black citizens.
“We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together,” King said in a 1967 report to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “You can’t really get rid of one without getting rid of the others.”
Legislator Carrie Solages, who attended the MLK event and gave a speech, said King’s understanding of race and class distinctions, resulting in unjust determinations of how people are treated in the country, was a central point of King’s message.
Solages also brought up the circumstances of King’s assassination, which was fighting in solidarity for poor sanitation workers’ rights. “He understood that class divided us more,” he said. “What we see going on now, we realize the real issue is economics.”
Improving economic conditions, King said in his writing, is a necessary step in improving racial conditions for Black citizens. In his 1967 book, “Where Do We Go From Here,” King even called for the outright abolition of poverty.
According to Sheryl Karp, the early childhood director of the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center, King represents communities working together for a united cause.
Like Thompson’s vision of solving racial disparity, Karp envisioned a place for children to coexist with seniors, people with disabilities and citizens of all different backgrounds in the community.
That is why, Karp continued, removing the stigma around policies like affordable housing could help break down barriers that separate the community. When people are close to one another, she said, it contributes to a sense of unity. “People need to live together and not look at affordable housing as a dangerous situation,” Karp asserted.
Removing barriers is precisely what Ethan Ogunfowora, an Elmont senior and member of Key Club, said he imagined when he thinks of King and his message of peace. “To me,” Ogunfowora said, “Martin Luther King is a role model. He is a symbol of what we should be striving for.”
While Ogunfowora believes racism is still a prevailing issue, he believes it can be solved using King’s ideals. King’s words are an inspiration to Ogunfowora, who said he admires MLK’s ability to bring people together regardless of race, background or where they come from. “We’re all human beings at the end of the day,” Ogunfowora said.
Legislator Seth Koslow said King is a “champion of champions” and represents values the country should be working toward.
However, Koslow said, he is concerned about the political divide within the nation, which has made it even more difficult for communities and politicians to work together. He said it’s easy to lose sight of other communities when people are so focused on their own.
But, he continued, bringing people together to talk about issues that face their communities, and sharing their common goals, can help bridge that gap. “It doesn’t have to be black or white,” Koslow said. These common goals, he explained, are safe neighborhoods, good education, children’s programs, and a bright future.
Thompson said he still believes communities across the country face racial disparity, whether it is written in an ordinance behind closed doors or blatantly communicated in public. The result, he continued, is separation among communities of different races and economic conditions, where one community has an advantage over the other.
“It’s unfortunate,” Thompson said. “Even though King made strides, I think there’s still a long way to go.”
And, he said, this is something that needs to be addressed for the entire community, and not just one individual case at a time.
King emphasized that the union of white and black communities was a critical point in achieving equality, and that doing so would require a full commitment from all parties involved.
The methods in which these goals could be achieved would necessitate unashamed dedication and participation by privileged white communities, King pointed out. Otherwise, he continued, white communities would not see the inequality that exists between it and Black communities oppressed by social, racial, and economic circumstances.
In King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he put in plain words exactly what this means. “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will,” King wrote. “Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
Once everyone decides to fight for a united cause, King believed, and those who ignore conditions faced by their neighbors finally confront them head on, the world can achieve true equality.