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By Rickey Hampton, Editor and Founder of The African-American Athlete
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is not just any day. This is April 4th.
It was 49-year’s ago today, April 4, 1968, that Dr. Martin Luther King died. He was standing outside his room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, when he was fatally struck by an assassin. Now, whether you believe James Earl Ray, a common criminal, was the lone assassin, or it was a plot put together by forces much smarter than he. The mission was the same: Ending’s Martin’s dream.
Some will think it was a success. They will point to the struggles of the black community since Dr. King’s passing. The crime, the poverty, and the hopelessness. Indeed, that is one chapter of the story of African-Americans, but that is hardly the only chapter.
Yes, Dr. King’s dream is alive. It is inspiring the minds of literally millions of young, educated, ambitious black men and women in America. It is alive in the homes of millions of prosperous, thriving black families. It surges through the gifts and talents of millions of black men and women who do important work in our society, and make America a better place to live.
Please, don’t buy into the garbage our So-Called president tired to sell black people during his run to the White House. Remember this? “You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?”
Those are the thoughts of an ignorant, racist, and totally uninformed man. He just happens to be the president. Nonetheless, be aware there are millions who think the same way about the African-American community.
I am here to remind you that is not Dr. King’s dream, and that is not the story of the black community. It is important that we note this day. We stand on the shoulders of Dr. King. We benefit from the sacrifice he, and many others who are not as famous as he was, made.
Dr. King was a revolutionary who changed the world without lifting his finger to harm a single individual. Sadly, it seems as if some of us have taken him for granted. To some he is just a picture in a book. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was just not any man. And, April 4th, should never just be any day.
