On this Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2010, I wanted to share some brief thoughts on the relevancy of celebrating and learning from this great man's life for West Virginians. Sadly, through the distorted lens of racial politics and a seemingly unavoidable tendency for humans to seek division as opposed to unity, some in our nearly all-white state may question the continued power and immediacy of Dr. King's words and their application to our situation today.
Rev. Matthew Watts, a pastor and community leader in Charleston, WV, has written eloquently about the practical benefits of poor white West Virginians aligning with the African American community in seeking economic opportunity and justice. When the blinding forces of fear and prejudice are lifted, it makes complete sense. Dr. King showed how powerful a new unified force can be when it creatively crosses racial and economic boundaries.
Lately, I've been thinking about the nature of "diversity," that buzzword that for one person can mean "reverse discrimination" and for another "equal access to opportunity." The difference of course is one of perspective. Diversity begins with the ability to look at things from a higher plane, to see the bigger picture of potential abundance instead of assumed scarcity.
What is the nature of diversity? For me, diversity is rooted in the courage to question how things are. Why are African Americans across our country and a large number of "white" Appalachians (as well as Appalachian African Americans...affectionately known as "Affrilachians" by some) still locked into generations of poverty and the related suffering that comes with it? Why is West Virginia, after generations of government and non-profit support, still ranked in the bottom of every major economic, education and social category?
I recently read a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that I've never read before. It was his last speech as president to the Southern Christian Leadership Council. I think the characteristic I most admire, the thing that sparked my young mind's appreciation and commitment to diversity, from Dr. King is his powerful ability to see things from a higher plane. He connected the spiritual, moral and logical dots more powerfully - and more eloquently - than anyone else I've experienced.
In this speech he questions many underlying assumptions about America. It was for this reason that he was deemed dangerous by the FBI and many institutional leaders in our country. Many forget, MLK was still a very controversial figure in his last days. He spoke out against the Vietnam War and against the structural evils of poverty in America. He did not pull punches, but he punched with peaceful blows.
You may not agree with where MLK was headed with some of these questions, or his proposed answers. But I think, if we're courageous, we can embrace the freedom of creative, prophetic visionaries like MLK and others who challenge us with these questions so our world changes for the better. Let us not be afraid of questions and ideas; let's be afraid of those who want no part in engaging with them.
Read Dr. King's speech. We'd love to hear your feedback on how these questions and ideas might be applied to West Virginia's overall prosperity and growth across all of our racial, social and economic lines.
posted by Jeff James
Very well said, Jeff. Dr.
Very well said, Jeff. Dr. Lawrence Kohlbert's studies on Moral Development, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development, would have placed Dr. King, along with people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, and even Henry David Thoreau, at the top level. That level was entitled "Universal Ethical Principles", or as I would have it, simply Universal Justice. It took courage and vision to help to create a future, not just for African Americans, but a pathway for all of us out of the shackles that history had placed on us, black, white, asian, hispanic, et al. Dr. King provides that opportunity now through today's commemoration throughout the country and the world.
Thank you for posting this.
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