Dr King was hated by a lot of people.
People forget that among the speeches.
This is one of my favorite memes, taken from one of my favorite series, featuring two of my favorite actors.
David Tennant (the best Dr Who itieration in my opinion) and Michael Sheen (who will always be Wesley Snipes from 30 Rock) star in Good Omens as Crowley and Azariphale, respectively.
The meme is a tri-panel—a triptych. In the first panel, Crowley leans toward Azariphale and asks, “What was it he said that got everyone upset?” In the second panel, Azariphale responds, “Be kind to each other”. In the third panel, Crowley says, “Yeah, that'll do it”.
This.
Everybody acts like Dr King walked around preaching love and folks threw flowers at him.
He was thrown in jail.
His life was threatened for telling the truth and wanting equality.
He spoke out about economic disparity. He was against war.
A large portion of the American people hated him.
The government followed him, spied on him, kept a file on him.
And he spoke anyway. And he showed up anyway.
Don’t miss the message here—he refused to be silent among tremendous pressure to be quiet.
His family wasn't safe for decades. He knew it. He kept going. And one day his life was taken.
It is an act of defiance to dare to be fully yourself, to live every inhalation and exhalation that way, to accept nothing less, and to do so contentedly.
It is an honorable nod to Dr King every time a law is corrected, legislation is passed, laws are dropped from the books in favor of equality and justice.All interactions that seek to understand instead of undermine count as well.
All of that matters.
Make no mistake, though—existing as a Black person in this country, and I mean fully, with wings outstretched and heart lifted to the sun, challenges The System. Because of Dr King's efforts, and the effort of the participants of the Civil Rights movement, I get to carry the baton further.
Be kind to each other.
