COAL MLK Edition – Honoring MLK / Committing to the Work ahead
Although King dedicated his life to building cross-racial coalitions and racial harmony, he never did it at the expense of the truth or by watering down stark differences in racial equity.
He was loud and clear about economic, national, religious, and racial disparities in power—and called out those who attempted to silence his message or ignored it all together from their privileged place on the sidelines.
Please read our MLK message, listen to these songs and reflect on the part you choose to play, the contribution you will make, to the work that must be done…
A Message to Contemplate on MLK Day
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 and the inherent racism and bias of our nation’s systems.
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 must be the true American way.
Respectfully,
COAL Board of Directors
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“The time to work seriously and collectively, to improve the state of our Community, is upon us…”
Let Us be intentional in all aspects of the Work that must be done.