Picture it – 250,000 women, men, and children of all nationalities shouting, clapping, praying and praising your name. Most are standing, some are sitting, and everyone is anxious to hear what you have to say. People have come from all over the country to witness history. As you walk to the podium, the cameras are flashing, microphones are piled up in front of your face, every news media outlet is staring and waiting for you to take the stage.
No, I’m not describing then-President Obama at his Inauguration, the NFL draft or the Beyhive at Cochella. At this event, many are fearful and suspense is in the air. The nation is in an uproar because the systems of racism, sexism, poverty, classism and all of the other injustices that exist, have marched onto the Washington Mall calling for the death of Jim Crow. Cases have faces, people are standing up for their rights, their past and their future. Black people, especially, are waiting to be filled and given hope for a better tomorrow. It’s now time for Dr. King to address the nation. The responsibility is heavy. The accountability is public. The sacrifice has no price, but his Dream is worth it all.
When I was asked what I thought Dr. King would say to millennials in 2020, I could not come up with an answer that was one size fits all. Millennials are an extremely unique generation because of easy access to the internet and technology. Some of us have achieved our ancestor’s wildest dreams while others are our ancestor’s worst nightmares. We’re Lil Wayne and Serena, Love and Hip-Hop and Shark Tank success stories, the characters in Moonlight and Think Like a Man. We’re YouTube superstars, thrift store magicians, elected and appointed officials, and first-generation success stories. We are indeed different and we’re not all motivated the same. What we do have in common are goals for success. We all just want to be able to live comfortably, take care of our families, save money and you know the rest. I don’t think Dr. King would disagree with any of these goals, but I do believe that he would call for a greater sense of responsibility to the community. He’d tell us to put our money where our mouth is and not just talk to the talk but walk the walk. To truly be successful I believe he would tell us to build our dreams on the following principles.
- Chase freedom, not fame. This principle has never been more relevant than it is right now. Keeping up with the status quo of social media has caused many people to put on a mask every single day. For the hip-hop culture heads, some hide behind the extreme use of make-up, painful waist trainers, Yeezy’s and Gucci flipflops all because it looks good on Instagram. Don’t stop reading here and think that you’re excluded because that’s not your vision of fame. Michele watches, custom-tailored suits, vacations in countries that most can’t pronounce and private lockers that protect your most exclusive and coveted wines and cigars count too. Don’t misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with liking and appreciating luxurious items and experiences; I like them too. However, we must remember Dr. King’s words, “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service…You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love to serve.”
- Have Faith First. His full title is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a minister before he was a civil rights leader and I’d venture to say that Dr. King believed in the same God as Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, and everyone else that faced death and fear to fulfill their dream of freedom for black people. Dr. King’s faith preceded him before every door he ever opened. Dr. King told us to take the first step in faith. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Please keep in mind that Dr. King was not asking for easy favors that could be done with a snap of someone’s fingers. He was asking for a nation to change its cold-hearted core, for people to protest peacefully while being beaten by police, bitten by dogs, chased, raped and killed just because of the color of their skin. He was asking for people to believe in his dream that all men were indeed created equal and that everyone deserved civil rights. He was asking for everyone to believe that the “greater good” was worth all the pain and suffering, and that type of dream demands faith.
- Work Faith Second. To put it in today’s perspective – Dr. King didn’t just make a Facebook post or send a tweet about the most recent killing of another innocent black child. Dr. King found the child’s parents, went to their home to provide comfort, held meetings and organized his community until justice was served. When justice was not served, he did not give up. He pressed on, fought for what he believed in and worked his faith even in the face and foot of adversity. In his words, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me and, I think that’s pretty important.” I can’t imagine what our country would be like if Dr. King believed that his dream could come true, but left the work needed to make the dream come true in the palm of someone else’s hands.
- Community Creates Opportunity. Dr. King told us that we cannot walk alone and showed us by calling upon everyone to play a role in the journey for men and women to not be judged by the color of the skin, but by the content of their character. He was not the first person to call out injustice, he was not the first person to go to jail for what he believed in, and he most certainly was not the first person to give a powerful speech or organize in his community. He was, however, the chosen person, His work ethic, commitment to community, and thrill for knowledge propelled him to be one of the most recognized and celebrated voices of the civil rights community. His passion for community made him ready for the opportunity to lead. No one could take away what was meant for his life, not even in his death.
- Vote! Right now, the state of our government is fractured, frail and failing. People are divided like never before and the leadership of our country is not stable. If there was one piece of legacy that Dr. King could ensure lived forever, I’d bet my last that his wish would be for people to VOTE. Voting is connected to every single thing that we do in life. How we take out student loans, why we even have to have student loans, why we have or don’t have health insurance, why our children fail or succeed in school, and why our prisons are overpopulated with our black brothers and sisters who need jobs and not jail. It’s all connected to voting. Without question, Dr. King would say that in times like these we must bond together, grab the broken pieces, make phone calls, knock on doors, pick up people and take our soles, our friends, our family and anyone that we can reach to first stand up and be counted in the Census and second – get to the polls and VOTE!
Lastly, Dr. King would re-issue a call to action. He would say do what you can and then do a little bit more. Take a stand and invest in your communities, donate more to a cause or charity that advocates for freedom and against injustice, mentor a child, volunteer to help those in need, vote in every election, always stand against injustice, learn all that you can and most importantly love. As we continue to celebrate his life and honor his legacy let us remember, “If you cannot fly, then run, if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Thank you, Dr. King, for moving our nation forward. Your work on earth was not finished when you died, but your legacy lives forever.
Kamilia Landrum is the Executive Director for the Detroit Branch NAACP. She oversees programming for five of the Detroit Branch NAACP’s key development areas which are education, economic sustainability, criminal justice, civic engagement and health, and health care access.
