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King Holiday 2008:
A Measure of Change
by UAW Region 8 Webmaster John Davis

On Monday, January 21, 2008 the 22nd observation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday will be held. All across the country there will be programs, parades and speeches to honor a great American, visionary and human being.

This year many will take the stage and recall the events of Dr. King’s life and legacy, quoting his speeches and accomplishments. They will speak of his dream, his vision and his humanity.

I have heard many speak of the realization of Dr. King’s dream because we have an African- American running for president. I don’t think Dr. King’s dream was about having an African-American president; I think Dr. King’s dream was about any man being able to run for the office and being judged on the content of his character.

I believe that Dr. King could have supported Barack Obama based on his stand on the issues. His commitment to our youth, his stand on poverty and his vision for bringing the country together would interest Dr. King and not the color of his skin. In addition, the stands of some of the other candidates would have drawn praise from Dr. King based on these same ideals.

Yes we can pat ourselves on the back and proudly proclaim just how far we have come since the passage of the Civil Rights act in 1964. However, just how far have we come? How much progress has been made? Are we truly a color blind society? Unfortunately, the answer to all these questions is disheartening.

Case in point is a slanderous email that is currently circulating the internet concerning Barack Obama. I have received that email a number of times from people who should know better. This email accuses Obama of being a Muslim, of using the Koran to be sworn into office and of being educated in a radical Muslim school. All of these claims are false. The email goes on to state that all of the information comes from a reliable website, swopes.com. However, if you visit swopes.com, it states that everything in the email is false.

I have confronted at least three people who have sent me this email and each claimed surprise to it not being true. Each also said they would have never sent it if they knew it was false. One of those people asked me “How could something that is totally false be spread so easy?”. But to this I ask, “Why didn’t you take the time to see if it was false before you passed it along.” The answer to this question is simple; it is because some people WANT it to be true. If this email was about Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee or even John Edwards, no one would believe it. The difference between Obama and these candidates is simple; he is not white and they are.

To me, the success of this email filled with lies is sufficient proof to the lack of progress that has been made. You see, because of Obama’s race, those who are forwarding this pack of lies to everyone on their email address book feel justified to oppose him based on the color of his skin. This in and of itself is proof of our failure to judge a man on the content of his character instead of the color of his skin.

If racism has been erased in America then how can we explain the many examples of it in the media today? CBS Radio personality Don Imus made a derogatory comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team and , when he was fired, many presented him as the victim. Talk radio’s hero of hate Rush Limbaugh was forced to step down from the show "Sunday NFL Countdown" to protect the network from the uproar caused by his statement that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed. Again, Limbaugh was made out to be the victim in that instance. When we defend remarks and suggestions that demean another based on their race, we actively participate in racism.

Dr. King stated “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” When we silently pass along an email that is filled with lies to under mind a person based on the color of their skin, we not only commit an act of silence but also an act of hate.

Another quote of Dr. King’s that strikes so deep to the heart of America is “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” All too often I hear individuals speak of the things that Dr. King did for African-Americans, but never do they mention how his accomplishments benefited us all - regardless of race. His message of love and passive resistance to the evils of injustice and hate were intended to make us all better people.

On this observance of the Dr. King holiday, it is my prayer, my wish and my goal that all men follow his example and dream of judging people based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. May we all – red or yellow, black or white - know that all are precious in His sight, and if they are precious to God, then why not us?

Those who state that Dr. King’s dream was one of promoting the African-American know little of the man and what he stood for. Dr. King’s dream was that we could live in a color blind society that judged people based on who they are and not what they are. Until this happens - we will never be free of the binds of racism in our society, and Dr. King’s dream will never become a reality. This year, let each of us purpose in our heart to continue the work of this great man by striving to build a world where the content of a man’s character is the measure and not the color of skin.