Every MLK Day brings a predictable litany: one bunch of people sanctifies MLK and his dream and another bunch trashes him and talks about what a disappointing bunch the black folks are.
I have problems with both approaches.
The deification of King overlooks some things that were patently obvious at the time of his death: he was spiraling downward in terms of influence at the time and had spun off into some areas of debatable usefulness in terms of the cause of black liberation. His anti capitalist rhetoric was pointless and self defeating. His opposition to the war in Viet Nam was costing him. And then there was the little matter of the resentment of him by most black leaders in the US, a fact that is never noted now. And of course, the black militants thought him an Uncle Tom, another fact that gets short shrift now. To hear it now, every black person in the US was on board with him all the way. Was not the way it was.
The opposing faction now, I will call them bigots for lack of a more accurate term, point out correctly that he was no saint and was cheating on his wife repeatedly, said a lot of things a preacher should not be saying and by the way, he plagiarized his thesis at theology school. All of which is true, even if it is a bunch of bigots yelling about it.
I am uncomfortable having a day celebrating one person as a symbol of a movement that covered a lot more ground than he did.
Which brings me to Juneteenth and why I think we ought to be celebrating it instead.
Juneteenth celebrates the arrival of the blue coats with bayonets to end slavery in Texas. It ought to be the most celebrated day in Texas next to San Jacinto Day, when Houston, Seguin, de Zavala and the rest liberated everybody else. Sort of.
Unlike MLK, there is no legitamate reason to oppose celebrating the end of slavery. Outside of New Caney, anyway. And it can be celebrated as a jumpiing off point. The Yankee conquerors may have ended slavery, but that was just a first step in ridding our country of the evils of racism.
I am 64 and have seen incredible improvement in the ethnic situation in our state, both as to blacks and hispanics. No doubt this will continue for decades to come as we welcome, most of us, the growth of the black and hispanic middle classes and the gradual elevation of some of them to the upper layer.
I respect King for sticking to his principles even when he knew people were repeatedly trying to kill him and would probably succeed. We honor men for the good they do, not their faults. Travis was a wastrel and a slave owner but at the appropriate time he stood up and died for what he believed in. Jim Bowie was a lot worse. I still respect and honor them for the good. Same with King.
But the cause he fought for could be more profitably marked by celebrating Juneteenth rather than his birthday.
I have problems with both approaches.
The deification of King overlooks some things that were patently obvious at the time of his death: he was spiraling downward in terms of influence at the time and had spun off into some areas of debatable usefulness in terms of the cause of black liberation. His anti capitalist rhetoric was pointless and self defeating. His opposition to the war in Viet Nam was costing him. And then there was the little matter of the resentment of him by most black leaders in the US, a fact that is never noted now. And of course, the black militants thought him an Uncle Tom, another fact that gets short shrift now. To hear it now, every black person in the US was on board with him all the way. Was not the way it was.
The opposing faction now, I will call them bigots for lack of a more accurate term, point out correctly that he was no saint and was cheating on his wife repeatedly, said a lot of things a preacher should not be saying and by the way, he plagiarized his thesis at theology school. All of which is true, even if it is a bunch of bigots yelling about it.
I am uncomfortable having a day celebrating one person as a symbol of a movement that covered a lot more ground than he did.
Which brings me to Juneteenth and why I think we ought to be celebrating it instead.
Juneteenth celebrates the arrival of the blue coats with bayonets to end slavery in Texas. It ought to be the most celebrated day in Texas next to San Jacinto Day, when Houston, Seguin, de Zavala and the rest liberated everybody else. Sort of.
Unlike MLK, there is no legitamate reason to oppose celebrating the end of slavery. Outside of New Caney, anyway. And it can be celebrated as a jumpiing off point. The Yankee conquerors may have ended slavery, but that was just a first step in ridding our country of the evils of racism.
I am 64 and have seen incredible improvement in the ethnic situation in our state, both as to blacks and hispanics. No doubt this will continue for decades to come as we welcome, most of us, the growth of the black and hispanic middle classes and the gradual elevation of some of them to the upper layer.
I respect King for sticking to his principles even when he knew people were repeatedly trying to kill him and would probably succeed. We honor men for the good they do, not their faults. Travis was a wastrel and a slave owner but at the appropriate time he stood up and died for what he believed in. Jim Bowie was a lot worse. I still respect and honor them for the good. Same with King.
But the cause he fought for could be more profitably marked by celebrating Juneteenth rather than his birthday.
