By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Celebratory programs and events marked the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Promises and proclamations were made at city halls and places of worship across America.
Our attitudes of hope seem to be buoyed when this special holiday comes around each year. It’s timely in the sense that it gives us the rest of the year to practice what we say.
Some years ago, I coined the expression, “it’s the doing of the talking”. No matter how fervently we say the words of hope, we must also create actions of hope as well.
As history tells us, Dr. King was one of the early architects of the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, he was Time Magazine’s Person of The Year in 1964. His advocacy for people with little to no voice put the United States of America on notice.
He said, “Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power so that government cannot elude our demands.” Over time, we have seen this axiom come to fruition. However, we know that there is still work to be done.
How many times have we heard the lyrics we shall overcome some day? Those words have become synonymous with the King Holiday. We want to believe that equal rights are just around the corner. Yet our quest for them is still evolving.
Dr King was an ambassador for people, both Black and White. He knew that we were better together. No man or woman is an island. We are inextricably tied together in the same fabric of brotherhood and sisterhood.
He said, “Justice for Black people will not flow into society merely from court decisions nor from fountains of political oratory. White America must recognize that justice for Black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society.”
Another King Holiday has passed, and our America is still being challenged by demons today. Our vision of prosperity has been dimmed by corrupt and corrosive people. America is at a pivotal moment in its storied history. This year, we have a presidential election earmarked for Tuesday, November 5th. Unless something unforeseen happens, the incumbent Joe Biden will face off against Donald Trump.
Some may ask how can a person with 91 criminal charges against him run for the position of president of the country? It is because Trump’s legal team is playing the game of put-off, delay and reschedule.
There are many in America who want him to become president. I wonder what their code of ethics and honesty is. Does telling the truth matter? Is it ok to assault women? Can you get away with inciting riots? It is permissible to overvalue your businesses. Can you admire dictators and want to emulate them? If your answer is yes, then you will vote for Donald Trump.
Sadly, you fall into the caldron of misguided people who have replaced right with wrong. You have fallen into a sea of misery and misfortune. You are with the wrong person for the wrong reasons.
Now, if you are like me and a proponent of Dr. King’s philosophy of hopefulness then you will vote on November 5th. Our vote will count, and our presence will matter. Don’t think otherwise.
Right cannot ever be taken for granted as wrong is always lurking. Dr. King and other Civil Rights leaders sacrificed greatly for the rights and privileges that we have today. The King Holiday must not be the only day that we give a little more and do a little more. It must become a lifestyle and a way of living.
Dr. King said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability.
Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle.”
We must continue doing this if we want a better nation for generations to come. This is our responsibility and we can do no less.
Dr. James B. Ewers, Jr. is a long-time educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. One of the top tennis players in the state, he was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in January 2021. A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, he received his M. A. degree in Education from Catholic University in Washington, DC, and Ed. D. degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. He has also done post-doctoral studies at Harvard University and Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
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