2008 Woodie Awards
Honor King by continuing his work
Editorial Board
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Opinions
It's hard to appreciate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. to an appropriate degree when you were born some two decades after the Civil Rights Movement.
Sadly, for many of us, one of the first things that King Day brings to mind is how far we still have to go to reach real equality. Further, the lines along which our society is fractured are not solely racial - we are also divided by such things as gender, religion, sexual preference and class privilege.
America was founded on the principle of equality, and much of its greatness owes to affording opportunities for anyone willing to work hard. Yet it is evident that even today, some people will have to work harder than others in order to succeed, solely due to circumstances that cannot be helped and that should not be relevant.
That inequality is no excuse to give up for those disadvantaged by discrimination. For others to feign oblivion to it, blithely perpetuating the status quo, would be un-American.
Further, it is worth noting that race is a purely social construct. From a scientific standpoint, humans are simply humans.
Race as an intrinsic divider of mankind was devised as a means of dehumanizing slaves. Rather than reconcile themselves with the unconscionable nature of slavery, its practitioners simply denied their cruel deeds were harming real people at all. Incredibly, over a century after abolition, the vestiges of this fallacious mindset continue to poison countless minds.
Although segregation ended decades ago, in many ways we remain a divided society. Neighborhoods and school districts are still often split along racial lines. Too often, this rift extends to educational opportunity, and from there pervades social and professional aspects of life.
So as much as King accomplished, it's critical that we do more than celebrate his successes - we must also examine our society's remaining inequalities, and expand the scope of our ambition beyond race. We must outdo King.
The focal point of King's legacy was tolerance - that is, simply tolerating those who are different from us. That shouldn't be too much to ask. Does it hurt men when women earn the same wage as men for the same work? Does it hurt straight couples when those of the same sex receive the same benefits from their employers?
Hardly. But it clearly hurts our society when we are divided in so many ways.
Sadly, for many of us, one of the first things that King Day brings to mind is how far we still have to go to reach real equality. Further, the lines along which our society is fractured are not solely racial - we are also divided by such things as gender, religion, sexual preference and class privilege.
America was founded on the principle of equality, and much of its greatness owes to affording opportunities for anyone willing to work hard. Yet it is evident that even today, some people will have to work harder than others in order to succeed, solely due to circumstances that cannot be helped and that should not be relevant.
That inequality is no excuse to give up for those disadvantaged by discrimination. For others to feign oblivion to it, blithely perpetuating the status quo, would be un-American.
Further, it is worth noting that race is a purely social construct. From a scientific standpoint, humans are simply humans.
Race as an intrinsic divider of mankind was devised as a means of dehumanizing slaves. Rather than reconcile themselves with the unconscionable nature of slavery, its practitioners simply denied their cruel deeds were harming real people at all. Incredibly, over a century after abolition, the vestiges of this fallacious mindset continue to poison countless minds.
Although segregation ended decades ago, in many ways we remain a divided society. Neighborhoods and school districts are still often split along racial lines. Too often, this rift extends to educational opportunity, and from there pervades social and professional aspects of life.
So as much as King accomplished, it's critical that we do more than celebrate his successes - we must also examine our society's remaining inequalities, and expand the scope of our ambition beyond race. We must outdo King.
The focal point of King's legacy was tolerance - that is, simply tolerating those who are different from us. That shouldn't be too much to ask. Does it hurt men when women earn the same wage as men for the same work? Does it hurt straight couples when those of the same sex receive the same benefits from their employers?
Hardly. But it clearly hurts our society when we are divided in so many ways.
Be the first to comment on this story