Home

Editor's Note

Introduction

Current Index

Free Your Mind

The Future

Wake Up

Editorials

Alliance

Bizarre

The Staff

Photos

Community

"I have a dream"....will return after this message...
by Derrick Warren
dwarren@excapethematrix.com

 

        I was supposed to write about my recent trip to Paris for this month's edition. Frankly, I'm not in the mood. It has always come to my attention, many time before, as to what Martin Luther King Day has become. Much like the concept of a Black History Month, and not to take away from the honor and the heritage behind or the fight Coretta Scott King had getting her late husband's birthday recognized, has giving America a means to ignore a nasty scar on it's face. Of course before you raise that eyebrow of yours, understand first where I'm coming from.

       One day out of 365 days of year (366 on leap year) politicians, teachers and phony street corner revolutionaries like to..flaunt their knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream, pardon me, his vision. One day out of year, former presidents enjoy visiting black schools, churches, universities and tell the people how to preserve Dr. King's legacy. One day out of a year, revolution is spoken up and sounds a little more than hype, a little more than a complaint. One day out of a year more African Americans are united in prayer in reflection than 355 days of that same year.

       The "Dream." The Dream has given way to time. This vision that Dr. King so passionately shared with us has been reduced back down to a mere hope. This vision wasn't the result of a day's work. It wasn't to be realized after the last word of that speech was uttered. This vision wasn't a rose tented view of the future; that was blood it was seen through.

       The people who heard that speech on the radio, or saw that speech on TV was of a strange, different mind set. One, we today have no idea about. The people of then shared that vision and knew of it before Dr. King shared his version of it. They were sick and tired. Battered and bruised. Yet the idea was to move forward. Always move forward. But something happened. We slowed down. Started crawling. By the time I got to this planet, the dream was being whispered. Everyone was sick and tired. Battered and bruised. But the look in their...our eyes were different.

       What happened. The rights we received during the civil rights movement wasn't the end of it. That wasn't it. We didn't just want rights. That was the beginning. That was suppose to open the door. We were merely getting started and then something happened. Some would say that thing was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But that wasn't it...it couldn't of been. I mean, the dream was shared by many, right? The course was clear. We knew what we had to do..right?

       Everyone today can still tell you today what they feel his dream was. Equality, right? I'm don't believe that was 100% it, part of it, but not the entire picture. So I'm treated the same as my white counterpart, now I can be successful. Dangerous way of thinking. Equality will be never fully realized. So then what? I'm not equal? Forget it then. Another dangerous thought. I believe the dream, the vision involved the return of black pride. Brothers and sisters seeking success in a world that will not accept us 100%, but most deal with 100% of us. Unity. Equality is a very pleasant thought. Unity has to be the start.

       After Dr. King was murdered, the dream wasn't shattered, just shadowed. Shadowed by anger and rage. We were angry at this country and this system, but in some misguided process of thought, we directed it at ourselves. We had become a people, possibly the first, that was bent on the genocide of our own race. An extreme analogy, but I'm forced to stick with it. Not as a judge from the outside looking in, but as just another confused individual on the inside that wants an end to the madness.

       We've seem to have gone beyond the help of marching. Beyond the help we feel a political party or candidate can offer us. We're now at a point where we are the only ones who can help ourselves. We are the ones who have to get money back into our communities. We are the ones that has to take an interest in our children's future. It should already be evident that in the years that we have put the trust of the African American community into the hands of those who govern us, that it just hasn't worked out.

       The Dream was one of equality. Thing is, we can't expect respect and acceptance from others until we have unity amongst ourselves. This process is still ongoing, but it we can't afford to allow it to move along at a snail's pace. The process will take more effort than 29 or 30 days combined a year to make Dr. King's vision the reality his legacy deserves. Take his birthday and take Black History month and run with them. The Dream still can be relevant, but we have to stop doing the work of those forces that wish us failure for them. As this may sound like just another one of those black power dialogues you hear so much, then shut me the hell up and let's do something about the state of our community. Happy Black History Month.