Frederick Douglas wrote to end slavery which
was the contemporary racial tension. To what extent has the issues he
spoke of been remedied? After civil rights leader Martin Luther King the
presumption is that civil rights issues have been remedied since the de jure
signs of inequality are over. This year MLK day came in the days following an
election of a man who represents inequality on the basis of race.
Frederick Douglas wrote of slavery in the context
of lack of payment and the inequality of the criminal justice system. These
problems exist today and are exacerbated by the election of Donald Trump.
Douglas writes “There are seventy two crimes
in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, (no matter how
ignorant he may be), subject him to punishment of death; while only two of the
same crimes will subject a white man to that punishment” (7). This sounds
remarkably similar to the contemporary issue of black lives matter. Where young
African Americans are subject to police brutality where fatality is a strong possibility.
The current president campaigned on “law and order” which is almost code for
police brutality.
Douglas also writes of African American
labor “… to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages…” (8). The
clear racial wage gap in our society shows that African Americans are still
working for free to some extent. The current president when confronted with
African Americans immediately speaks of poor African Americans in the inner
city. He clearly sees African American as synonymous with poor.
Douglas finally wrote of kickbacks for
judges on the basis of disciplinary action: “An American JUDGE GETS TEN DOLLARS
FOR EVERY VICTIM HE CONSIGNS to slavery” (11). This sounds like the private
prisons scandal of a few years ago. Since African Americans are incarcerated at
much higher rates than their white counterparts for similar crime rates this
can be understood as incarcerating African Americans for cash.
If economic inequality and criminal justice issues
are still prominent of our society to what extent does MLK day symbolize finally
full racial equality?
David brings up an interesting question in asking what MLK Day symbolizes, particularly for African Americans. I think there are major differences between the what the 4th of July meant for Douglass and what MLK day means for modern African-Americans. The 4th of July celebrates an event that had no impact on blacks at the time because they just remained enslaved. Whites could celebrate progress for themselves with blatant disregard for the continued subjugation of blacks, hence the potency of Douglass's argument.
ReplyDeleteMLK Day is different in the sense that it does celebrate progress for African Americans. However, I think that progress gets blown out of proportion, particularly by whites who want to think racial problems have ended because they want to feel that they are morally better than those of past generations. We shouldn't see MLK Day simply as a celebration of victory for African Americans, as it is sometimes framed. Instead, it should simultaneously be a celebration of the accomplishments of MLK and a reminder of the progress that still needs to be made.
I recall speaking briefly in class on a related topic - how most of America wants to believe that it is in a post-racial society when in fact it is not. As David noted, this is evident in police brutality, economic inequality, prevalent racism still present in government, and further examples.
ReplyDeleteSomething interesting to note is that despite being created in 1983 by Ronald Reagan, MLK Day was only first celebrated by all 50 states in 2000; that's 17 years following the creation where some states refused to acknowledge the marker of the civil rights movement. Additionally, the campaign to make MLK Day a federal holiday began in 1968, so it took 15 full years to establish the holiday itself. To me, that fact alone is indicative of how MLK Day does not actually symbolize full racial quality but instead a commitment to continue the work of the civil rights movement in searching for and establishing full racial equality.
In this way, MLK Day both stands apart and aligns itself with July 4th. Both holidays symbolize the ongoing struggle for freedom and establishment; July 4th, 1776 was the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the de facto establishment of the United States could be said to have come around 1789, when the Constitution was first written and the Articles of Confederation were discarded. MLK Day, in the same way, celebrates the civil rights leader and the accomplishments of the movement to date, but the fight for the establishment of equality is still ongoing. With that said, most people recognize July 4th as a holiday celebrating the completion of separation, while public perception of MLK Day is controversial and mixed; there's really still a long way to go in establishing a true post-racial society, as evident just by this holiday.