Published April 4, 2008
As we observe the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, we acknowledge how his legacy and impact will continuously play a part in American advancement.
To see the type of progress he played a part in, all you need do is go to The New York Times' Web site and search the 1851-1980 archives for "Shreveport."
"2 Negro leaders seized in South; Held at Shreveport voter rally for mental study" is the first result you will see.The headline is for a June 10, 1962, story about two Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) officials who were arrested during a "Negro voter-registration" event here in Shreveport.
Within the past five years, I have registered a number of voters in Shreveport and never has the thought of being arrested because of it crossed my mind.
That's progress.In 1964, The Voting Rights Act was signed, ensuring African-Americans — and other minorities — the same rights as any other citizen to vote.
Today, Barack Obama — a person who would not have been able to vote in this country 50 years ago — leads the Democratic presidential nominee race.
Again, progress.
The problem with progress is, at times, we spend most of our energy celebrating what has been accomplished — while spending less energy on the things we need to do to continue making progress.
We — especially women and minorities — so easily forget the effort that went into having the right to vote. We'll decide we won't go out and vote because it's raining or the lines will be long while ignoring the memories of those people who were "greeted" by water hoses and forced to walk miles upon miles in order to vote.
That is an example of stalled progress. Though having the right to decide if you want to vote or not is progress itself; not taking advantage of being able to vote — and making a difference — make the progress quite limited.
During King's lifetime, he was able to witness the end of the Jim Crow era and the disenfranchisement of blacks. But one issue he never saw resolved, and one we're still working on addressing, is closing the significant economic gap and lack of balance in this country.
Before King was assassinated, he worked on the Poor People's Campaign, a combined effort with the SCLC that was to demand economic security for people of all races and backgrounds.
This included more economic development, a livable minimum wage and educational opportunities for the poor — all methods of giving poor people the opportunity to make financial advancements.
Though the campaign continued after the assassination of King, and Robert Kennedy, it did not foster the same kind of results as previous similar efforts. Maybe, after 40 years, it's time to revisit formally those issues.
As we celebrate the accomplished life of Martin Luther King Jr. — and the countless, faceless people who worked with him — let us all work toward accomplishing his goal and creating a more economically and socially balanced America.
