Pubdate: Mon, 21 Jan 2008
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2008 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325
Note: Rarely prints out-of-state LTEs.
Author: Willie Clark

ON THIS MLK HOLIDAY, END KING-BAITING

King baiting is rampant these days. King-baiting?

I'm talking about the tried and true practice of  invoking the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name  whenever someone wants to curry
favor, assuage anger,  rebut arguments or influence decisions by
African-Americans. Regardless of political persuasion,  King-baiting
has become standard operating procedure in  the past few years.

Today, on the national holiday on which we honor the  civil-rights
icon, let's talk honestly about  King-baiting.

For instance, when the media reported "allegedly  racist" comments
about blacks and welfare in his  newsletter, presidential candidate
Mike Huckabee  responded, "Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were my
heroes." End of discussion.

Hillary Clinton riled some African-Americans when she  said. "Dr.
King's dream of racial equality was only  realized when President
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the  Civil Rights Act of 1964." That seemed
innocent enough,  but many thought she suggested Johnson deserved more
  credit than King for the passage of civil-rights  legislation.
Clinton's example of King-bating  backfired, too.

Memo to the world: African-Americans revere, celebrate  and appreciate
everything Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  did for the advancement of our
race. We honor the  supreme sacrifice he made. However, we don't
genuflect  and comply at the mere mention of his name.

King would not have wanted it that way. He fought and  died so that
all Americans, especially black people,  would have the right to speak
their mind and make their  own decisions. That's something that whites
and blacks  alike too often forget.

King-baiters usually employ one of three quotes. We've  heard them
time and time again: "I have a dream," "the  content of our character
not the color of our skin,"  and "little black boys and little black
girls join  hands with little white boys and little white girls."

The endless repetition and focus on these three  snippets of words
have reduced one of the 20th  century's great thinkers to a few lines
from one  speech.

On this holiday honoring him, it would be beneficial to  revisit some
of the things he said beyond those in his  landmark "I Have a Dream"
speech:

*"Peace is not just the absence of conflict but also  the presence of
justice."

Many laud King's call for peace and nonviolence but,  when it comes to
the issue of justice, they fall short.

In 2007, the Justice Policy Institute released a report  detailing
disparities in drug sentences for whites and  blacks in Central
Florida, despite the fact that both  races use, sell and transport
illegal drugs at roughly  the same rate. Last year, the Jena Six,
Genarlow Wilson  and Shaquanda Cotton cases highlighted the inequities
  of our justice system in other regions of the country.  Despite all
of this, year after year, these  discrepancies go unaddressed.

Justice for all is the cornerstone of our democracy.  Neither the
United States nor Central Florida will be  what it was intended to be
until there is fairness in  our courts.

*"There is nothing more dangerous than to build a  society with a
large segment of people in that society  who feel they have no stake
in it; who feel they have  nothing to lose. People who have a stake in
their  society protect that society, but when they don't have  it,
they unconsciously want to destroy it."

The carnage in our low-income communities is  well-documented. The
collateral damage is a loss of a  sense of safety for the entire
community, which takes  its toll both emotionally and financially
while  diminishing our quality of life. There is an extreme  sense of
disconnect among residents in disadvantaged  communities, particularly
among the youth. Real or  imagined, they believe our system is working
against  them. Our society needs new and innovative efforts to  bring
them into the fold both educationally and  economically. We can and we
must do more.

*"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so  tragically bound to
the starless midnight of racism and  war that the bright daybreak of
peace and brotherhood  can never become a reality. . . . I believe
unarmed  truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

The large number of whites supporting Barack Obama,  Hillary Clinton's
enormous support among black women  and the small but significant
increase in the ranks of  black Republicans are testaments to
America's changing  attitudes about race. In coming decades, the
unenlightened minds that seek to keep us divided will  become extinct.

As King said, "We as a people will get to the promised
land."

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Willie Clark of Orlando is a TV producer and host and  has a Web site
for urban professionals at clarkmedianet  work. com, where he hosts an
Internet radio show on  Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon. He wrote
this  commentary for the Orlando Sentinel.
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath