In Honor of MLK Jr. Day, My Top 10 Truths for Racial Justice and Equality

Today we honor the life of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929, and assassinated on April 4, 1968. Dr. King was and still is, revered as a monumental leader in the Civil Rights Movement. An American Baptist minister and activist, he evoked a message of peace and non-violence in the struggle for African-Americans to achieve equality and justice in the United States and beyond. The fact that he did this in an environment that at one point jailed him and eventually cost him his life is a testament to how great this man truly was.

As an ally who stands steadfast in the fight for the principles of freedom and equality Dr. King sought for African-Americans, these are my 10 Simple Truths for racial equality on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

1. Black Lives Matter.

2. White people need to get over their feelings of white fragility.

3. The existence and unjust impact of systemic racism need to be taught in K-12 classrooms, public and private.

4. Prejudice and discrimination are not racism. They are an artifact of racism, and all people need to understand the difference.

5. #sayhername. Sandra Bland.

6. Reverse racism is not a thing.

7. White people need to listen more and talk less.

8. Affirmative action is not a hand-out or quota system.

9. Black history needs to be taught by black scholars in our entire education system.

10. There need to be more black people in positions of power from board rooms, school boards, courtrooms, government offices, and everywhere in between.

11. Just because the United States elected, a Black president doesn’t mean we entered a post-racial society. We are the same country that elected the guy after him and then watched on TV as three police officers murdered George Floyd, decades after we watched police almost do the same to Rodney King.

12. Racism in policing needs to stop. Police reform needs to happen— like, yesterday.

Okay, so it is my Top 12 truths. I wonder what Dr. King would say if he were still with us. His dissidents have carried on his legacy, but they are not him. That is why his death was such a loss for the Black community and the world. He was a change-maker for positive and inclusive justice and equality. We need more of those today.

At times, my hope is eclipsed by my impatience.

A quote from the MLK Monument in Washington D.C. It reads, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”