In the wake of MLK day, I have been reflecting on how much politicians and the media have watered down his legacy. MLK is often used by Republican and moderate Democrats to try and show they understand the issue black Americans face and to show they aren’t racist when in reality these people would have despised MLK if he were around today. 2/3rds of Americans had an unfavorable view of MLK in the 60s and he was often smeared as a radical communist. That sure sounds familiar.
This video by his son truly showcases this issue perfectly.
Everyone recognizes MLK’s great accomplishments with the civil rights movement, as every reasonable person nowadays recognizes that as a good thing. However, MLK’s other preachings are conveniently hidden and forgotten, because the people who most use his name know damn well they would have smeared him back in his day. When we bring up MLK we must also always bring up his preachings on poverty and income inequality because it has gotten much worse since he preached against it.
His son, Martin Luther King III, is absolutely correct when he says his father would be crushed if he saw the state of inequality and poverty in this country. It is rising every year and has unfortunately been accelerated by the global pandemic. We should all strive to help make MLK’s other dream a reality. It’s a dream that a powerful, rich nation like the United States should be able to accomplish and I truly believe one day we will.
Personally, my dream is to start a non-profit that builds storage container homes for the homeless and helps them find jobs and get their life back on track. The poverty levels truly make me sad and I will fight hard to solve it because I know the solution is possible. In the richest economy in the world we have the resources in order to provide a safety net for every American so they never have to skip a meal or lose their home.
We should pass a Universal Basic Income so every American can live with dignity and security. With a UBI people will always have money to fall back onto when times get tough. It can afford some people to cut back on their hours so they can spend more time traveling or with their families. It would allow a single mother to cut back hours and take classes so she can get a better career to provide for her kid. Most importantly though it would help lift millions of people stuck in poverty and prevent millions from falling into it.
We should pass medicare for all so no American has to worry about medical bills or the price of their medication. Countless people go bankrupt every year because of medical bills and it simply doesn’t have to happen. Countless parents aren’t able to get much needed medication for their child because they simply cannot afford it, that is just unacceptable. It is time America catches up with the rest of the modernized world in providing medical care for their citizens.
We should make college more affordable so even kids from poor families can afford to get a higher education. 2 year community college should be free for every American and we should strive to help drive down the insane cost of college tuition at 4 year universities so kids don’t have to acquire insane amounts of debt just to chase their dreams. We should also set up debt relief programs so graduates aren’t held down by their student loans for decades.
That is just 3 examples of things that are entirely possible and within reason to accomplish that would help fight the poverty and income inequality that riddles our country today. We can’t allow MLK’s other dream to continue to fall into the shadows.
Green Buddhist 