The irony of Martin Luther King Day and this presidential inauguration falling on the same day is one that’s hard to wrap my head around. So, I was glad to see there were several local events over the MLK holiday
weekend sponsored by the No Place for Hate committee in our town.
My husband and I attended a free showing of the 2018 documentary, “I Am MLK, Jr.” on Friday night. (You can find it on various streaming services at home). What a powerful story it told. In just 12 years and 4 months, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a profound impact on our democracy and fight for social justice.
Seeing that movie made me wonder what Dr. King would say if he were alive and witnessing the inauguration today.
On Sunday afternoon, we attended a program that included a keynote from Reverend Rahsaan D. Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. At an earlier weekend rally in Boston, the Boston Globe quoted Reverend Hall as saying in response to the new administration, “We’ll double down on the three D’s of defending democracy, demanding diversity, and defeating poverty” as their north star. On Sunday, he delivered a passionate talk with a closing message that emphasized repeatedly that change takes total participation.
Yes, the fight for social justice continues and it does take total participation. Some of Dr. King’s most famous quotes are especially poignant as we prepare for this next administration:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
Shortly after the election I bought two of Timothy Snyder’s books, “On Tyranny – Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” and “On Freedom”. But I’ve hesitated to jump in. As this new administration becomes reality and we see more clearly what lies ahead, I decided it was time to read “On Tyranny”. I read it in a little over an hour on Saturday and I highly recommend it. Some of the key lessons: don’t obey in advance, support institutions, believe in truth, and contribute to good causes.
On Sunday night, we watched a virtual event sponsored by Red Wine & Blue – “Keep Calm and Listen to Heather Cox Richardson: Inauguration Eve”. It was just what we needed. Richardson writes a daily newsletter called, Letters from an American, which is also available as a podcast. For well over a year, I have made reading her letter my first “to do” with a cup of coffee each morning. As a history professor, last night she put things into perspective and reminded us that small groups of people can change history.
Red Wine & Blue sounds like they are trying to do just that – their website describes them as, “A national community of over half a million diverse suburban women working together to defeat extremism, one friend at a time. We train and connect women from across the country of all political backgrounds – including many who have never been political before – to get sh*t done and have fun along the way.” In what they call TroubleNation, they already have over 500 chapters for grassroots community organizing in 49 states.
As I’ve closed some of my past blog posts, now more than ever we need to stay informed, engaged and vigilant.
Related Posts:
Finding truth post-election: staying informed, vigilant and engaged
Martin Luther King Day and why it matters – 2020
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – why it matters
Hate has no place
ultimately matters more than all the polls and predictions combined: the votes actually cast. Voting is not something we simply watch. It is how we participate in our democracy – and yes, voting matters.