COAL Commentary – Recognizing MLK and the Work Before Us

We are at a dangerous moment in our lives. We must gather ourselves together for action.

We must see the danger hovering around us out of the desperation of white privilege.

Our success as a nation during and after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is threatened.

We must gather together to keep our positive movements going forward.

We cannot wait for others to free us or support us. We must be at the front of the march (in similar ways as Martin) pushing down the wrongs and evils of those who feel threatened by a true democracy of equality and justice.

We call on schools, businesses, churches, families and individuals to rid themselves of the hate and fear that they have of equality, justice, the truths of our nation’s history, and join together as one nation, indivisible, with justice and freedom for all.

We celebrate the national holiday named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a day for all of us to celebrate the same nation for all of us—equal rights, equal opportunity resulting in equal experiences. But we all must work toward that truth. Stand up for equality and justice. Speak out against our nation’s past injustices. Stand together as AMERICANS, not as a nation of separate people. Slavery was wrong—segregation was wrong—equality, justice and liberty for all is the true American way.

We must “…Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.”