Each year on the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., people who hated him and everything that he worked for, spoke and wrote for, went to jail for and ultimately died for, take his name in vain and cherry-pick his words to try to find something they can take out of context and distort to prop up their own sympathies with racism, war and economic injustice.
Dr. King identified the three evils of poverty, racism and militarism, and he said that “these are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wounds of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born.”
Dr. King also said: “We do not have to look very far to see signs of the revolution that is taking place in our world today. There is a revolution in the social and political structure of our world on the question of the equality of man.
“The great masses of people are determined to end the exploitation of their lives, and share in their own future and destiny. They are moving toward their goal like a tidal wave. They are saying in no uncertain terms that colonialism and racism must go.”
That message is not the one the politicians and police want you to hear, but it is the real revolutionary Dr. King, and the Jan. 19 rally, march and program at Free AME Church in Fresno lifted up and honored that message. “Resistance through Unity, We Protect Each Other” was the theme, and Black and Chicano activists joined voices to prepare to carry on the struggle as a united front.
The event started with a rally outside the church where young speakers from Black and Brown communities shared their reasons for joining the fight for social justice. “Love,” a senior from Clovis East High School, read a poem to a crowd of about 75 people.
Several speakers, including students from Fresno City College and members of the Free AME Church, followed with powerful testimonials before the group marched through the streets of West Fresno chanting “No justice, No peace!” and “What do we want! Justice! When do we want it? Now!” The marchers were made up of a diverse group, both culturally and of various age groups. It was a beautiful scene.
The participants were informed and moved by Rev. Dr. Floyd Harris Jr., civil rights leader and Free AME pastor; Rafael Avitia, educator and Brown Beret leader; immigration rights activist Leonel Flores; psychologist Dr. Larry Cormier; Lethal, an advocate and outreach worker for people without homes or with substance abuse problems; union organizer Stan Santos, leader of Raza Against War; and lifelong Black community activist and Freedom School president Aline Reed.
The calls to action from the speakers can be summarized as follows:
- We are seeking revolutionary education and ways to stay mentally healthy in the hard times.
- We know we have the right to live free of racist colonizers, and with mutual support and mutual respect for all in our communities, and love and forgiveness of each other in our families and our siblings in the struggle.
- The young people who are taking up the struggle are our future; it is time for direct action.
- All power to the people!
