LET’S CONTINUE TO ‘LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING’

This month we celebrate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 93rd birthday. As we stop to honor a man who gave his life to the betterment of our people, we must remind ourselves of the personal sacrifices he made for his country. There were no social media arenas; he had to bring his platform of justice personally to our cities. It was only his voice and his passion that set a great path for our people, a path we still talk about today. We can never thank Dr. King Jr. enough for his relentless journey in trying to bring justice to our world.

Sadly, it cannot go unsaid that he would be greatly disappointed at the lack of progress in social equality that he would see today. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2001 is still not passed after all that was done to set some wrong history items correct. The way the NAACP, one of the oldest civil rights organizations, is currently disconnected from the communities it was formed to help, turns a deaf ear to what is needed and does what is politically correct is a travesty to his legacy. Instead of leaders listening to and working with the people who are actually in the trenches, they succumb to what outside forces say is right and true for people they do not care about or understand. Our leaders must not shy away from standing up and doing what is right for their own people.

History is made on the backs of those who will go the distance to ensure that justice prevails no matter the cost.

Dr. King Jr. paved the way for our first Black president to preside over this country for two terms. The country made great