Martin Luther King has been weaponized, and not by the Black people for whom he fought.
For the years leading up and now including the popping of the racism pimple, any Black person who dared speak out against the conditions they faced had Martin Luther King White-splained not because it added to what was needed to bring about change, but because it hopefully influence that person to stay in their place.
As an openly Gay teacher in a very red city in a very red state, I was told by administrators of the school district that my posting GLBT positive information about GLBT people and history in my classroom during GLBT History Month, or any time when there was positive news throughout the school year, making me the only source of such necessary information for GLBT students and their peers since both groups needed the traditionally denied information to counter the traditionally allowed misinformation, that it was “militancy”.
The campus chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes followed the agenda items that were suggested by the national organization, and one of the topics to be discussed was “Homosexuality”. This might not have been so objectionable if there was a Gay person in the meeting to answer questions and to dispel misperceptions, but that was not the case. Homosexuality was discussed during a “Meet up” led by the sponsor and, obviously, what was discussed and whatever information given passed through the filter of the Christian sponsor of the group.
The Bible study group would also discuss the Biblical prohibitions to Homosexuality, and throughout the building there were posters announcing Christian events held both on and off campus.
Once a year to get into the building before school a person had to walk by the Prayer at the Pole crowd who gathered at the flag pole by the school’s front entrance while an assistant principal led students in prayer. One year they thought it necessary to pray for me by name as I walked by.
There was a number of GLBT people employed by the district, and it was an open secret. People knew who the GLBT administrators and teachers were. Nothing was ever said, but the adults in the district knew very well who they were or at least they thought they knew as sometimes they assumed sexual orientation based on stereotypical characteristics. The students didn’t know, though, so while the adults knew there were positive role models for GLBT students, the students did not benefit from that because they were kept from seeing them.
If you were a teacher looking for an administrative position or an administrator looking toward a higher administrative position with the increased salary, staying in the closet with its glass door that allowed your peers comfortable deniability was the way to go.
Because of this I was asked many times to be like those other GLBT people who did not make an issue of their being Gay. They were the good Gays because they were quiet and ignorable.
The problem with their approach was that as adults and some students came to recognize the reality, the idea that there must be something wrong with being Gay that required the silence was promoted to and seen by students, both Gay and Straight. For the Gay kids the silence reinforced the need for them to deny themselves. For the Straight kids it meant being Gay was wrong and they had the right to deal with it in often destructive ways, especially since they did so in the name of Jesus
Be quiet and don’t may your straight peers uncomfortable was the expectation. And when they had baby and wedding showers for a faculty member after school hours, brought their dates and spouses to school events, had pictures of spouses and children on their desks, or spoke openly about what they did over the weekend and on vacation and with whom they did it, treating a GLBT teacher trwating his or her life the same way was militant.
What was obvious was that they thought the best tool to end Indeed you can’t make yourself cialis from india online dig this responsible for how others behave, it’s their negligence and ultimately their problem. On the same work-time, those functions at those the disgestive system entire purchase levitra http://downtownsault.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tax-Increment-Financing-and-Development-Plan-Number-Two.pdf body probably will gradual down. Prevention of possible injuries After recovering an injury, it is necessary to pay special attention so that it does not reappear or lead to tendinopathy. side effects viagra levitra vardenafil generic Certain strategies need to be followed and which certainly helps. my activities was to use the closeted employees against me.
Why, I was constantly asked, couldn’t I be like the good Gay people in the district.
Along with the haltingly reluctant and circuitous process to avoid doing the right thing when it came to our GLBT students, I was also informed that progress in something nobody had considered until I broached the subject would most likely have had come about faster if the subject hadn’t been brought up, and when it was, it would have been best to have been by a heterosexual person who might have had a better grasp of the conditions of GLBT students and what it would take to make their school experience more positive and safer.
So the preferred approach was to say nothing, let things go as they were going, and be silent as the only option to silence was being objectionably militant.
So I understand to a degree how using MLK as a weapon must infuriate people of color who, apparently, don’t know their place and want equality.
I have been to Black live Matter gatherings, be-masked and distanced. The ones I have attended were not infiltrated by people with their own agenda who did little to help the cause. There were, however, those observing the marches and demonstration who offered in speeches and in speaking to the media that they understood the problem and recognized that something needs to be done, but they would be more comfortable if the demands were made quietly and perhaps not so uncomfortable openly.
I watch at a local event as a Black person p0olitley handed the megaphone to am White friend, who then took over and explained the “struggle”.
Watching the demonstrations televised from various cities, while Black people were seemingly allowed some opportunities to speak for themselves, there was usually a heavy intrusion of white, woke people who either translated what was said, or made the necessary rewordings
Worse were the times that some White talking head interrupted a Black person and corrected their misunderstanding of their own life experiences.
The tell tale sign this was what was happening was the opening apologia, “I am not a Black person and have not lived in your shoes” that was followed by a dissertation on the Black experience.
The biggest weapon, the one they think is the best weapon, to keep- Black people from speaking for themselves about themselves, or to tell them where their biggest problem lies in the quest for justice is to bring up MLK and ask why these younger people can’t be more like him.
It could be that Young Black people have seen that as effective as he was, those who should have helped change the communal attitude were content to address the issues at the time without any follow up to make sure the initial actions bore fruit. MLK might have gotten the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, but he was killed and with that any serious follow up died too.
Things were better and that should have been good enough.
If the protesters would only go away, remain silent, or only discuss what needs to be discussed over tea and crumpets, it may be more comfortable for those who are happy that things are the way they are as it doesn’t affect them, while doing little to help bring about the necessary changes.
And so the people who have been in the majority, the people who have no experience with the conditions that need to be changed unless their experience was to perpetuate the bad system tell these people to be more like MLK, by which they mean keep things comfortable and be patient because somewhere down the road things might change.