MLK: A Dream Today and Every Day

By Maximillian Muhammad

96 to 97 is like 66 to 67 again with issues...conspiracies involving the C.I.A. with crack in the hoods...Texaco, Avis, Circuit City and housing places involved in bias lawsuits...an anti-affirmative action vote passed, but thankfully revoked. James Earl Ray, the trigger man in the Dr. King assassination (but, like many others, I feel there's another culprit), is on his deathbed and many unanswered questions remain. Despite gains the evils won't allow the voice that speaks daily on myconscious.

Dr. King's voice rings louder and louder with each passing year. The wordshe used to visualize the future of this world haven't come together. He spoke of racial harmony...children of all races learning to understand and respect one another. We can look at different events that have happened since his "I have a Dream" speech, such as the civil rights bill being passed ending discrimination on the job. A slap on the wrist is about all you can expect for racial remarks and creating a hostile atmosphere.

Why do companies place civil rights plagues on their walls and yet don'tfollow the message? It's a shame the government had to twist arms so to speakfor many companies to acknowledge people of color. The right-wing agenda used racial tactics in denouncing affirmative action and welfare reform. Still, the biggest insult is the conservatives' usage of Dr.King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech; it comes in sound bites instead of the full depth. He stated that until the playing field is even, action to ensure fairness is a must.

The color issue is a farce...look at welfare, where whites are depending on it more than minorities (Blacks in particular) by the numbers. Clinton and Dole don't follow Dr. King's dream; instead they use it as a real divider. Dole ran from Black people; Clinton uses folks then gets rid of them. Case in point: Dr. Elders. Dr. King dealt with people who supported him, and an opposition who despised him. But he was man enough to stand for something. Yet, he was Public Enemy no. 1. A Conspiracy on Hoover's part tried to keep him under the thread and needle. My point? If Dr. King could be conspired against,why couldn't a drug be used in a genocidal way?

California, no doubt, just passed Miami as the money laundering capitol. Southern California to be exact. What would Dr.King say about this? We have to get past "We Shall Overcome." We are singing that we want to be free; we want to think for ourselves and know history. Independence is the key in the economic market. Down-sizing is the word of the day; blame is the norm. If an African-American points out a problem then he or she is a trouble-maker...it's know your place, but only to suit the United States, the folks on Capitol Hill.

The White House can blame Blacks for everything that is a tax or a deficit. We become the reasons for all the problems. But what about our supposed heroes: Christopher Columbus, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy, George Bush, Oliver North, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. Slave-holders, liars and cheats...promoting sleaze, corruption and cover-ups. With heroes like those, who needs enemies?

Dr. King's endurance surpasses any of the above mentioned because he didn't hide behind coded words. No, he knew the deck was loaded against him, but he fought for respect, integrity, civil rights and everything that America should be for all Humankind.

So as the new year comes upon us, why still the shrugged shoulders? Is one man wrong in wanting changes? What's wrong with the "Dream?"